IC-NHLI- 


ECONOMY  IN  THE 
KITCHEN 


1 


XA    /^ 

••"    M.    \ 


1  &S/LT/V  CW&OAXV  /  I 1 

IL  r'^^^^^±J^^ Ijf^J M 

^    -^^ 


Fig.  i 


ECONOMY  /« 
the  KITCHEN 


BY 

J.  F.  BREAZEALE 


PRICE  ONE  DOLLAR 


FRYE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

15   West    1  07th  Street 

NEW    YORK    CITY 


Copyrighted  1918 
J.  F.  BREAZEALE 


INTRODUCTION 


DURING  the  last  decade  the  scientists  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  and 
the  state  experiment  stations,  as  well  as  other 
workers  along  agricultural  lines,  have  been  devoting 
much  time  and  thought  to  the  needs  of  the  American 
farmer.  "Whether  or  not  he  has  availed  himself  of  it  is 
another  question,  but  certain  it  is  that  at  present  he 
needs  little,  in  the  way  of  information  on  the  manage- 
ment of  his  farm,  that  is  not  available,  but  the  housewife 
upon  the  farm  is  not  so  fortunate.  Although  she  is 
usually  more  inclined  to  accept  good  advice,  and  prob- 
ably needs  information  more  than  her  husband,  she 
somehow  does  not  get  it.  The  housekeeping  magazines 
and  other  periodicals  are  not  addressed  to  her,  and  if 
she  attempts  to  read  a  few  cook  books,  she  is  likely  to 
end  up  with  a  vague  suspicion  that  the  authors  have 
probably  never  kept  house,  and  have  never  even  tried 
their  own  recipes.  The  works  on  domestic  science  fail 
to  reach  her,  as  the  writers  upon  such  subjects  usually 
write  to  the  woman  with  means,  the  housewife  who  can 
afford  to  buy  things,  and  not  to  the  woman  who  is 
obliged  to  do  with  the  things  which  she  already  has  on 
hand.  They  overlook  the  fact  that  probably  the  major- 
ity of  the  housewives  in  this  country  are  standing  upon 
board  floors  and  doing  their  own  work. 


412G52 


JN   THE  KITCHEN 


4  'My  early  iff e  upon  the  farm  has  given  me  the  view- 
point of  the  farmer's  wife,  who  usually  has  but  little 
and  who  spends  most  of  her  time  in  the  kitchen,  and  my 
greatest  desire  in  life  is  to  help  this  busy  little  woman, 
for  it  is  she,  and  not  the  woman  with  the  dog  in  the 
automobile,  who  is  the  balance  wheel  of  this  nation. 
During  the  years  that  I  have  spent  in  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  I  have  published  many  arti- 
cles in  which  I  hoped  to  help  the  housewife  on  the  farm. 
That  these  efforts  were  appreciated  is  proved  by  the 
many  letters  that  I  have  received  from  all  sections  of 
the  country.  It  is  from  these  letters  that  I,  in  part,  have 
learned  what  the  housewife  wants  to  know,  and  this  little 
book  is,  in  the  main,  an  answer  to  these  letters. 

This  is  not  a  cook  book,  and  I  do  not  pose  as  an 
authority  on  domestic  science.  I  do  not  expect  to  teach 
women  how  to  keep  house,  but  I  do  hope,  in  an  informal 
and  homely  kind  of  a  way,  to  bring  more  system  into  the 
household,  to  lessen  the  steps  of  the  housewife  and  to 
inspire  her  with  some  new  ideas  of  economy.  This  book 
is  meant  to  be  different  and  in  every  item  the  "  reasons 
why"  have  been  brought  out.  It  is  largely  a  description 
of  my  own  experience.  The  canning  of  vegetables  and 
fruits,  which  I  so  emphasize,  has  meant  so  much  to  me, 
from  the  standpoint  of  health,  economy  and  labor  saving, 
that  it  is  no  wonder  that  I  have  become  a  little  enthusi- 
astic over  it  and  probably  over  anxious  to  tell  other 
people  about  it.  During  the  last  few  years  I  have  had 
occasion  to  teach  many  housewives  how  to  can.  While 
some  of  these  think  it  is  too  much  trouble,  the  great 
majority  become  enthusiastic  too,  and  want  to  can  every- 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


thing  in  sight.  They  tell  their  neighbors  about  it  and 
they  go  to  canning  too.  This  goes  to  show  that  the  right 
kind  of  economy  is  contagious  in  much  the  same  way 
as  whooping  cough  or  chicken  pox. 

It  is  with  a  feeling  of  apology  that  I  use  the  term 
"I"  so  often,  but  in  a  work  of  this  kind  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  omit  this  form  of  expression.  In  the  duties 
of  our  household  I  am  not  " chief  cook"  by  any  means. 
My  wife  is  mistress  of  her  kitchen,  and  in  most  cases 
I  am  but  a  helper.  She  has  been  the  prime  mover  in  this 
work,  and  we  have  agreed  in  everything  except  in  some 
small  details.  She  insists  upon  using  a  dish  rag,  while 
I  think  that  such  an  article  should  be  prohibited  by  law ; 
she  thinks  that  the  harder  water  boils  the  hotter  it  gets, 
while  I  do  not;  but  beyond  such  small  differences  of 
opinion  we  have  worked  together  harmoniously,  and  the 
reader  can  take  it  that  the  term  "I"  in  the  majority  of 
cases  is  meant  to  mean  "we." 

I  might  add  that  I  practice  what  I  preach.  I  can 
go  into  a  kitchen  and  cook  as  complete  a  dinner  as  almost 
any  woman.  I  can  make  good  bread,  can  vegetables, 
preserve  fruits,  make  good  butter,  prepare  all  kinds  of 
salads,  or  make  mayonnaise  dressing,  and  my  little  chil- 
dren eat  my  cooking  in  preference  to  their  mother's. 
Such  work  is  my  recreation  and  I  try  to  do  it  with  the 
same  cleanliness  and  system  that  I  use  in  making  a 
chemical  analysis.  And  last  but  not  least,  I  can  wash 
up  the  dishes  and  keep  the  kitchen  clean  generally. 

In  my  twelve  years'  sojourn  in  boarding  houses,  a 
common  complaint  made  against  me  was  that  I  could 
not  be  kept  out  of  the  kitchen.  I  tell  this  only  to  show 


10  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

my  interest  in  kitchen  affairs,  and  do  not  wish  to  be  held 
in  any  way  responsible  for  the  boarding  house  cooking. 

So  these  words  of  advice  to  the  housewife  go  out  from 
one  who  does  not  think  that  he  knows  it  all,  from  one 
who  is  willing  to  learn,  and  whose  one  redeemable  qual- 
ity is  that  he  takes  interest  in  the  home  and  likes  to 
* '  fix  up  "  around  the  house. 


OLD-FASHIONED  THRIFT 

I  am  a  great  believer  in  old-fashioned  thrift.  The 
man  who  makes  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  only 
one  grew  before,  is  only  half  a  benefactor.  An  old 
adage  says  that  such  a  man  is  worth  the  whole  race  of 
politicians,  but,  while  this  may  be  true,  it  is  not  saying 
any  too  much  for  him.  One  who  produces  and  wastes 
is  little  better  than  one  who  does  not  produce  at  all. 
The  habit  of  taking  care  of  things  that  come  your  way 
is  what  I  call  old-fashioned  thrift. 

The  average  American  farmer  probably  does  not 
exist,  as  our  great  diversity  in  agriculture  makes  it 
almost  impossible  to  draw  an  average,  but  the  average 
farmer's  wife  does  exist,  and  although  she  is  probably 
more  thrifty  than  her  husband,  and  probably  more  so 
than  her  sisters  in  the  city,  she  has  yet  to  learn  a  few 
lessons  in  economy. 

From  actual  statistics  we  know  that,  in  a  prosperous 
agricultural  state  like  Ohio,  after  allowing  the  farmers 
5  per  cent  interest  on  the  money  they  have  invested  in 
their  farms,  that  60  per  cent  of  them  are  making  less 


ECONOMY  IN  THE  KITCHEN  11 

than  their  hired  help — and  this  is  one  of  the  best  states 
in  the  Union.  My  experience  in  Virginia  makes  me 
think  that  probably  90  per  cent  of  the  farmers  there  are 
not  making  any  more  than  a  living  off  of  their  farms. 
During  the  last  year  or  two,  owing  to  the  abnormal  price 
of  foodstuffs  and  such  articles  as  cotton,  many  farmers 
have  made  some  money,  but  this  does  not  represent  aver- 
age conditions,  and  is  certainly  not  what  can  be  expected 
in  the  future.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  average  Amer- 
ican farmer,  if  such  a  person  exists,  is  making  more  than 
a  living  off  of  his  farm. 

Now,  the  average  housewife  on  the  farm  attends  to 
the  garden  and  produces  enough  vegetables  to  supply 
the  family  during  the  summer,  she  takes  care  of  the 
chickens  and  sells  eggs  and  her  surplus  stock,  and  she 
makes  butter  and  sells  what  the  family  does  not  use. 
The  average  housewife  feeds  the  family,  and  if  it  were 
not  for  her  the  average  farmer  would  come  out  in  debt 
every  year.  But  the  average  farmer  does  not  know 
this;  my  experience  with  him  makes  me  believe  that  he 
thinks  he  is  the  most  important  person  on  the  ranch.  He 
does  not  keep  books,  he  is  not  thrifty,  and  he  underesti- 
mates his  wife's  part  of  the  work  upon  the  farm.  No 
piece  of  labor  saving  machinery  is  too  good  for  him,  yet 
he  seldom  thinks  that  his  wife  would  probably  like  to 
have  a  good  range  or  a  kitchen  cabinet  to  lighten  her 
work.  If  he  is  not  prosperous  with  all  of  his  advan- 
tages, he  deserves  little  sympathy.  My  sympathies  are 
with  the  housewife,  and  my  interest  in  her  welfare  will, 
therefore,  justify  my  criticisms  of  her.  She  is  not  sys- 
tematic, she  does  not  like  to  use  her  own  judgment,  she 


12  ECONOMY  IN  THE  KITCHEN 

likes  to  do  things  by  rule  of  thumb,  which  is  usually  the 
longest  and  hardest  way,  instead  of  studying  the  "  rea- 
sons why."  She  thinks  she  is  economical  when  she  is 
not;  she  wastes  her  time,  her  labor  and  her  steps.  She 
has  come  to  look  upon  her  task  as  mere  drudgery  instead 
of  realizing  that  it  is  a  noble  calling.  She  is  often  dis- 
contented, thinking  that  drudgery  is  a  part  of  a  woman 's 
duty,  when  it  is  not. 

Now,  the  first  sign  of  progress  is  a  realization  of  one's 
own  shortcomings,  so,  if  the  housewife  will  begin  by 
realizing  some  of  her  mistakes,  she  is  on  the  highroad 
toward  the  betterment  of  her  condition.  I  am  not  yet  a 
graduate  in  the  school  of  useful  experience  myself.  I 
am  probably  only  a  few  lessons  ahead  of  the  average 
housewife. 

Many  housewives  think  they  are  economical,  and  so 
they  may  be,  but  comparatively  few  are  thrifty.  One 
can  be  economical  in  a  few  things  and  yet  lack  the  essen- 
tial principles  of  thrift.  I  know  many  women  who  have 
"pet  economies."  They  economize  with  butter,  with 
sugar  or  with  bread,  and  yet  manage  to  spend  every 
cent  their  husbands  make  in  foolish  extravagance.  Such 
economy  is  absurd  and  gives  one  a  feeling  of  scarcity. 
Thrift  is  the  elimination  of  waste.  There  are  general 
principles,  of  course,  that  can  be  given,  but  as  an  applied 
science  it  is  after  all  an  individual  problem.  There  can 
be  no  shifting  of  responsibility — a  good  share  of  the 
high  cost  of  living  rests  with  the  individual  housewife. 
"With  nearly  all  of  us  at  one  time  or  another  we  will  have 
to  be  economical,  either  from  choice  or  necessity.  With 
me  economy  began  with  necessity  and  now  it  has  become 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  13 

a  matter  of  choice,  and,  take  it  from  me,  it  is  much  better 
to  be  economical  from  choice  than  from  necessity. 

I  never  saw  a  thrifty  person  in  want  in  all  my  life. 
The  well  to  do  people  are  usually  thrifty,  and  conversely 
the  thrifty  are  well  to  do.  You  can  drive  by  a  farm- 
house and  tell  whether  or  not  the  farmer  is  thrifty. 
Thrift  carries  an  atmosphere  with  it  that  is  unmistak- 
able. The  white-washed  fences,  the  gates  that  are  all 
on  their  hinges,  the  "trim"  appearance  of  the  place  in 
general,  speak  of  thrift.  The  lack  of  thrift  is  character- 
istic of  poor  people,  and  this  fact  is  really  what  makes 
them  poor. 

I  once  had  a  neighbor  in  Virginia  who  was  so  poor 
that  she  always  carried  a  look  of  poverty  around  with 
her,  although  her  husband  got  good  wages  for  a  laboring 
man.  Once  I  had  occasion  to  employ  this  woman  for  a 
short  time,  and  she  had  not  been  in  my  kitchen  but  a  few 
days  when  I  found  out  why  she  was  so  poor.  She  would 
peel  away  probably  30  per  cent  of  a  potato  in  preparing 
it  for  the  table,  she  would  forget  and  leave  the  food  in 
the  oven  to  burn,  and  do  many  other  things  that  would 
bring  poverty  into  any  household.  Her  lack  of  thrift 
had  made  her  poor  and  was  keeping  her  in  the  same 
condition.  She  was  an  exaggerated  type  and  would 
probably  come  under  the  head  of  "shiftless,"  and  the 
cause  of  her  poverty  was  easily  seen,  but  with  the  house- 
wife who  is  not  actually  in  want,  but  who  always  seems 
a  little  "hard  run,"  the  "reasons  why"  are  not  so  plain. 
She  may  work  hard  and  have  little,  and  this  is  often 
attributed  to  poor  business  management,  when  really  it 
is  only  a  lack  of  thrift.  She  probably  would  not  peel 


14  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

away  30  per  cent  of  a  potato,  yet  she  would  waste 
enough  in  small  amounts  to  make  the  difference  between 
plenty  and  scarcity.  For  example,  she  is  making  gravy. 
She  goes  to  the  flour  bin  and  dips  up  a  little  flour,  thick- 
ens her  gravy  and  has  a  little  flour  left  over.  This  she 
throws  away  and  dusts  her  hands  off  on  her  apron,  with- 
out even  thinking  that  she  is  extravagant.  The  thrifty 
housewife  would  have  put  the  left  over  flour  back  in  the 
bin,  and  the  housewife  who  combines  both  system  and 
thrift  would  have  had  a  dredge  convenient  even  if  she 
had  been  obliged  to  make  it  herself  by  punching  holes 
in  the  top  of  a  baking  powder  can,  and  so  would  have 
used  only  as  much  flour  as  was  necessary.  Thus  many 
housewives  seem  to  get  along  and  to  have  plenty, 
although  they  may  have  very  little  money  to  spend. 
This  is  because  they  are  thrifty  in  every  little  detail. 

The  negroes  of  th,e  South,  as  a  class,  are  lacking  in 
thrift,  and  at  one  time  or  another  nearly  all  of  them  are 
depending  upon  charity  for  subsistence.  However,  one 
sometimes  stands  out  from  among  his  brothers  as  a 
thrifty  individual.  These  are  usually  of  the  old  slavery 
time  school.  I  have  in  mind  an  old  negro  on  my  farm 
in  Virginia  who  never  wasted  a  penny.  He  made  no 
more  than  his  brothers,  yet,  while  they  were  begging 
for  bread  during  the  winter,  he  had  plenty  to  eat,  good 
clothes  and  a  little  money  in  the  bank.  He  was  thrifty 
and  they  were  not;  he  took  care  of  what  he  made,  and 
they,  in  times  of  plenty,  wasted  more  than  their  white 
employers. 

As  a  nation  the  Chinese  stand  out  as  an  example  of 
thrift.  Owing  to  the  dense  population  and  the  hard 


i ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  15 

struggle  for  existence,  thriftiness  has  become  a  national 
characteristic.  At  the  present  time  an  individual  in 
China  who  is  not  thrifty  will  soon  starve.  Economy  is 
born  in  them,  and  even  upon  coming  to  this  country  they 
never  lose  it.  We  Americans  are  the  most  extravagant 
people  on  earth,  and  while  it  may  not  be  necessary,  or 
even  advisable,  to  imitate  the  Chinese  in  their  manner  of 
living,  we  can  at  least  draw  a  lesson  from  them.  They 
are  economical  from  necessity,  and  it  behooves  us  to  be 
economical  from  choice,  rather  than  to  be  forced  to  be 
so  from  necessity.  We  are  at  the  height  of  our  national 
existence,  living  is  easy  and  now  is  the  time  to  economize. 

Cook  no  more  than  is  necessary.  The  cook  books  are 
full  of  suggestions  as  to  what  to  do  with  "left  overs" 
when  there  should  be  no  left  overs.  "Left  overs"  sug- 
gest waste.  The  housewife  who  cooks  six  extra  pota- 
toes for  dinner  with  the  expectation  of  frying  them  for 
breakfast  the  next  morning  is  planning  ahead,  but  the 
housewife  who  aimlessly  cooks  more  than  she  needs  of 
anything  and  has  a  little  left  over,  will  probably  throw 
it  into  the  garbage  pail. 

You  could  leave  off  your  ' '  pet  economy ' '  and  no  one 
would  ever  notice  it.  It  makes  little  difference  in  the 
expense  of  the  household  whether  you  use  three  pounds 
of  butter  or  three  pounds  and  a  half  a  week,  and  your 
economy  in  one  detail  only  makes  you  ridiculous.  Look 
ahead  and  exercise  watchful  care  over  all  your  expendi- 
tures. 

In  the  present  national  food  crisis  it  is  the  duty  of 
every  housewife  to  economize  in  whatever  way  she  can, 
but  after  all  it  is  the  housewife  on  the  farm  who  holds 


16  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

the  key  to  the  situation.  The  average  housewife  in  th( 
city,  whose  husband  is  working  on  a  moderate  salary 
has  probably  economized  all  she  can.  The  necessary 
expenses  of  a  family  in  the  city  nowadays  usually  tak< 
practically  all  of  the  average  man's  salary  and  there  is 
nothing  left  for  extravagance,  and  has  not  been  for  g 
good  many  years.  The  city  housewife  can  probably 
economize  by  cutting  down  the  amount  of  food  for  th< 
family,  if  this  can  be  called  economy,  but  this  certainty 
will  not  amount  to  very  much.  However,  the  housewift 
on  the  farm  can  economize  by  saving  that  which  ordi- 
narily goes  to  waste,  which  in  the  aggregate  will  amounl 
to  enough  to  feed  a  considerable  part  of  this  nation. 

It  is  said  that  the  successful  business  man  is  the  mar 
who  never  wastes  anything,  and  this  saying  applies 
equally  well  to  the  housewife,  for  housekeeping  is  a 
business.  There  is  no  need  for  anyone  to  want  for  the 
necessities  in  this  life,  as  there  is  plenty  here  for  us  all. 
Be  thrifty  and  avail  yourself  of  it. 


SYSTEM 

Closely  allied  with  thrift  is  system.  While  a  house- 
wife may  be  very  systematic  and  yet  be  lacking  in  thrift, 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  conceive  of  one  possessing  thrift 
and  lacking  in  system.  System  alone  is  sometimes  a  poor 
quality  to  possess,  and  is  oftentimes  a  bore,  but  when 
combined  with  thrift  it  is  one  of  the  most  essential  prin- 
ciples of  good  housekeeping. 

By  system  is  not  meant  the  monotonous  grinding  out 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  17 

of  the  regular  duties  of  the  household.  The  housewife 
who,  with  set  determination,  invariably  does  her  washing 
upon  Monday,  her  ironing  upon  Tuesday,  and  her  other 
duties  upon  regulation  days  is  not  necessarily  sys- 
tematic. System  does  not  mean  sameness,  as  many 
household  economists  would  teach.  By  system  is  meant 
a  scientific  adjustment  of  resources,  time  and  energy. 
Routine  is  not  system.  A  housewife  may  do  her  wash- 
ing upon  Thursday  of  one  week,  and  if  necessary  upon 
Friday  of  the  next  week,  and  yet  be  systematic.  The 
"reasons  why"  and  not  worn  out  traditions  should  be 
the  governing  principles  of  housekeeping. 

System  is  often  a  measure  of  efficiency  and  it  fits  into 
housekeeping  just  as  it  does  into  business.  A  business 
that  is  not  run  upon  a  systematic  basis  is  almost  sure  to 
fail.  There  are  experts  whose  whole  duty  it  is  to  sys- 
tematize business.  They  command  good  salaries  and  it  is 
quite  customary  for  big  concerns  to  make  use  of  their 
services  in  order  to  get  the  most  efficient  work  out  of 
their  employees.  They  aim  to  fit  the  different  parts  of 
an  organization  together,  to  systematize  it  and  thus 
secure  coordination  in  much  the  same  way  as  a  jeweler 
would  fit  together  the  running  gear  of  a  watch.  In  this 
way  they  eliminate  useless  work  and  wasted  energy.  A 
business  may  be  dependent  upon  any  number  of  outside 
influences,  but  to  be  successful  it  must  be  complete 
within  itself  and  systematic.  The  business  of  house- 
keeping is  a  complete  business  and  the  different  parts 
need  adjustment  and  systematizing  in  much  the  same 
way  as  any  other  business.  System,  like  thrift,  should 
enter  into  the  smallest  details  of  housekeeping,  there- 


18  ECONOMY  IN  THE  KITCHEN 

fore  to  the  housewife  it  becomes  an  individual  problem. 
The  fundamental  principles  are,  however,  exactly  the 
same,  whether  it  is  big  business  or  plain  housekeeping. 
The  business  man  plans  to  get  the  maximum  efficiency 
with  the  minimum  amount  of  expense  and  the  housewife 
should  plan  likewise.  It  has  been  my  experience  that 
system  is  the  crying  need  of  the  American  housewife. 

In  a  properly  adjusted  piece  of  machinery  there  is 
no  "lost  motion, "  and  the  same  might  be  said  of  a  well 
regulated  kitchen.  Drudgery  is  but  another  name  for 
"lost  motion,"  and  the  only  way  to  eliminate  drudgery 
is  to  first  eliminate  "lost  motion."  The  average  house- 
wife is  not  using  her  time  or  energy  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. The  ability  to  plan  ahead,  to  do  two  things  at  one 
time,  to  make  one  trip  across  the  kitchen  accomplish 
what  two  had  done  before — this  will  bring  the  so-called 
"swing"  into  the  kitchen  work  and  will  eliminate 
drudgery  or  "lost  motion." 

Being  an  individual  problem,  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  lay  down  hard  and  fast  rules  for  systematizing  the 
kitchen.  The  balancing  of  accounts  at  the  end  of  the 
week,  or  the  hanging  up  of  a  slate  in  the  kitchen  for 
outlining  the  daily  tasks,  as  is  often  advocated,  may  help 
some,  but  such  schemes  as  these  do  not  alone  constitute 
system. 

After  all,  system  consists  largely  of  three  elements : 

First — In  knowing  what  you  are  trying  to  accom- 
plish. 

Second — In  thinking  about  what  you  are  doing  as 
you  go  along. 


ECONOMY  IN  THE  KITCHEN  19 

Third — In  knowing  in  advance  what  you  are  going  to 
need. 

These  elements  may  seem  a  little  abstract  to  some 
housewives,  but  they  have  an  every  day  application.  All 
three  may  be  illustrated  in  the  baking  of  bread.  In 
the  baking  of  bread  the  housewife  should  know  some  of 
the  elementary  principles  upon  which  she  is  working, 
she  should  keep  in  mind  that  she  is  growing  a  yeast 
plant  in  her  dough,  that  this  plant  is  using  up  the  sugar 
and  starch  of  the  flour,  and  is  forming  carbonic  acid  gas, 
that  this  gas  is  mixing  with  the  dough  and  making  it 
light,  and  that  when  enough  gas  has  been  generated  to 
get  the  dough  in  the  proper  condition  she  must  stop  the 
growth  of  the  yeast  by  heating  the  dough  or  baking  the 
bread.  She  must  not  wait  until  the  dough  is  ready  to 
mold  into  loaves  before  preparing  and  greasing  her  pans, 
neither  must  she  wait  until  the  pans  are  ready  to  put 
into  the  oven  before  she  builds  a  fire  in  the  grate.  She 
must  know  in  advance  what  she  is  going  to  need  and 
must  have  things  ready.  The  housewife  may  do  all 
these  things  properly  in  the  case  of  the  baking  of  bread, 
and  yet  fall  down  upon  one  of  the  same  essential  prin- 
ciples in  some  of  the  smaller  details  of  housekeeping.  It 
is  an  easy  matter  to  give  a  long  list  of  "don'ts,"  but 
housewives  are  somewhat  like  children,  they  seldom 
profit  by  ' '  don  'ts. ' '  Housewives  and  children  need  posi- 
tive and  not  negative  instructions. 

My  years  of  work  in  a  chemical  laboratory  have 
taught  me  a  few  principles  that  all  housewives  should 
know.  A  chemist  must  have  developed  in  him  an  appre- 
ciation of  system,  he  must  know  how  to  do  two  things 


20  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

at  a  time  before  he  can  hope  to  succeed.  He  must  appre- 
ciate neatness,  and  must  keep  things  clean  as  he  goes 
along.  He  must  know  what  he  is  doing  and  must  under- 
stand the  "reasons  why"  or  else  he  will  never  do  good 
work.  A  chemist  who  tries  to  work  by  rule  of  thumb 
will  never  get  anywhere.  Now,  a  kitchen  is  nothing  but 
a  chemical  laboratory;  you  may  not  have  the  delicate 
balances,  or  the  reagents  to  work  with,  but  it  is  a  chem- 
ical laboratory  just  the  same,  for  all  kinds  of  cooking, 
bread  making,  canning  or  preserving  are  but  chemical 
processes.  I  do  not  mean  to  convey  the  idea  that  a 
woman  must  have  a  knowledge  of  chemistry  before  she 
can  hope  to  be  a  good  cook,  but  I  do  want  to  impress  the 
fundamental  idea  of  thinking  what  you  are  doing  and 
of  working  intelligently. 

I  would  build  a  kitchen  upon  the  same  plan  as  a 
chemical  laboratory  and  run  it  upon  the  same  principles. 
A  good  chemist  will  never  let  soiled  dishes  accumulate 
on  his  work  table  or  in  his  sink;  when  he  is  through 
with  a  vessel  he  washes  it  out  and  hangs  it  up  to  dry. 
If  the  housewife  would  imitate  him  in  this  respect  alone 
it  would  be  a  great  help.  Wash  up  the  cooking  utensils 
as  you  go  along  and  hang  them  up  out  of  the  way.  Have 
a  place  for  everything  and  keep  everything  in  its  place. 
A  chemist  will  never  allow  unnecessary  things  to  accu- 
mulate in  his  laboratory,  and  the  housewife  should  imi- 
tate him  in  this  particular.  Put  everything  out  of  the 
kitchen  that  does  not  belong  there.  Unless  the  house- 
wife is  continually  on  the  alert,  unnecessary  things  seem 
to  have  a  tendency  to  accumulate  in  the  kitchen  and 
under  her  feet.  One  often  sees  kitchens  where  almost 


ECONOMY  IN  THE  KITCHEN  21 

one-half  of  the  contents  belong  in  the  attic  or  in  the 
barn.  Everything,  from  old  clothes  to  plow  points,  or 
pieces  of  harness,  have  been  left  there  in  the  way  of  the 
cook.  This  is  poor  economy  and  only  adds  to  the  steps 
of  the  housewife.  Clean  out  the  kitchen  and  keep  it 
clean. 

Ordinarily  a  chemist  adds  enough  of  a  reagent,  an 
acid  or  an  alkali,  to  get  a  reaction  and  never  thinks  of 
how  much  the  recipe  calls  for.  The  methods  or  recipes 
are  necessary,  as  they  furnish  a  principle  or  working 
basis,  but  the  little  details  are  always  left  to  the  indi- 
vidual worker,  and  it  is  these  little  details  that  count  for 
so  much.  In  the  same  way  a  good  cook  adds  her  salt 
or  her  spices  until  she  knows  in  reason  that  the  dish  is 
sure  to  taste  good.  It  is  said  that  the  best  cooks  never 
use  cook  books — they  think  what  they  are  doing.  I  have 
in  mind  a  woman  who  was  probably  the  best  cook  I  ever 
knew.  I  don't  believe  she  ever  possessed  a  cook  book, 
and  she  never  followed  a  recipe.  It  was  impossible  to 
find  out  from  her  exactly  how  she  did  anything.  ' '  Oh, ' ' 
she  would  say,  ( i  I  add  a  little  of  this  and  a  little  of  that 
until  I  think  it  is  properly  seasoned."  She  seemed  to 
have  an  intuition  which  told  her  what  to  do,  but  in  real- 
ity she  knew  exactly  what  she  wanted  to  accomplish  and 
she  was  thinking  about  what  she  was  doing.  The  few 
recipes  that  will  be  given  hereafter  do  not  necessarily 
represent  the  perfect  way  of  doing  things,  and  it  is 
earnestly  hoped  that  the  housewife  will  use  them  as  a 
working  basis  only,  and  use  her  ingenuity  in  improving 
upon  them.  I  do  not  always  follow  my  own  recipes,  but 
take  "short  cuts"  whenever  possible. 


22  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

Study  your  housekeeping  as  you  would  any  other  sub- 
ject. I  do  not  mean  that  it  is  necessary  for  you  to  study 
how  to  kindle  a  fire  or  such  details  as  are  often  put 
down  in  works  on  domestic  science,  as  these  are  the  A, 
B,  C's  that  you  should  already  know,  but  think  more 
of  the  principles  involved  and  work  upon  that  basis.  It 
is  not  a  difficult  matter  to  see  the  principle  when  once 
you  look  for  it.  There  is  a  principle  in  everything  you 
do,  and  it  is  these  simple  fundamentals  that  every  house- 
wife knows,  but  the  knowledge  of  which  she  fails  to 
use,  that  make  such  a  difference  in  housekeeping.  The 
very  simplest  piece  of  cookery,  such  as  the  boiling  of 
an  egg,  has  a  principle  involved.  In  this  case  it  is 
largely  a  matter  of  heat  penetration.  "When  putting  an 
egg  into  boiling  water,  make  a  mental  note  of  its  size,  and 
this  will  give  you  an  idea  of  the  length  of  time  required 
for  the  heat  to  penetrate  to  the  interior.  After  a  little 
practice,  you  will  become  adept  and  can  tell  almost 
exactly  when  to  take  it  out  in  order  to  have  it  soft  or 
hard  boiled.  Three  minutes  is  not  an  invariable  rule  for 
cooking  a  soft  boiled  egg. 

If  a  man  should  conduct  his  business  as  his  father 
or  grandfather  did,  the  chances  are  that  he  would  fail. 
He  must  keep  up  to  date.  What  a  successful  business 
man  wants  is  an  idea,  and  he  will  work  out  all  the  details. 
The  housewife  should  do  likewise.  A  woman  who  will 
ask  you  how  much  salt  you  mean  when  you  say,  "Salt 
to  taste, "  will  never  get  anywhere  in  cookery  unless 
she  gets  herself  out  of  this  habit. 

Ordinarily  I  advise  housewives  to  follow  directions 
implicitly,  for  few  of  them  are  inclined  to  think  what 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  23 

they  are  doing.  They  are  apt  to  be  careless  and  will 
omit  small  but  important  details.  Get  yourself  out  of 
this  habit,  study  the  "reasons  why"  and  it  will  save 
you  many  failures  and  many  steps.  Think  more  about 
what  you  are  doing  and  less  about  what  the  recipe  calls 
for.  This  is  a  part  of  good  management  as  working 
by  rote  is  poor  system.  Herein  lies  my  greatest  objec- 
tion to  cook  books;  they  have  a  tendency  to  cause  a 
woman  to  lose  her  individuality  in  cooking.  The  recipes 
are  all  right  if  properly  used,  but  for  general  cooking 
they  should  be  used  as  a  working  basis  and  the  indi- 
viduality of  the  cook  allowed  to  assert  itself.  The  com- 
mercial baker  in  his  bakeshop  must  follow  a  recipe,  for 
his  great  aim  is  uniformity  in  his  product.  He  must 
control  every  condition  possible  in  order  to  keep  his 
bread  the  same  day  after  day,  but  uniformity  is  not  what 
we  want  in  a  kitchen.  Did  you  ever  notice  that  the 
cooking  of  a  goo^.  cook  tastes  different  every  day  ?  Try 
uniform  cooking  upon  your  children  for  a  few  days  and 
see  if  they  do  not  get  tired  of  it.  What  we  want  in  the 
kitchen  is  variety  or  the  so-called  "spice." 

You  will  not  have  to  sacrifice  anything  for  system, 
for  system  brings  order  and  comfort.  Ask  yourself  if 
your  management  of  your  kitchen  is  really  economical 
and  systematic,  and  try  out  any  schemes  that  suggest 
themselves  that  might  improve  it.  System  is  something 
that  may  be  acquired.  If  you  are  a  poor  manager  and 
hard  run,  it  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  somebody 
is  not  systematic.  Banish  poverty  from  your  home — 
you  can  do  it  with  system  and  old  fashioned  thrift. 


24  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


THE  KITCHEN 

Usually  the  least  desirable  room  in  the  house  is  set 
aside  for  the  kitchen.  The  architect  of  the  home  may 
spend  much  time  in  planning  the  parlor  or  living  room 
of  a  house,  overlooking  entirely  the  fact  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  daily  life  of  the  housewife  is  spent  in  the 
kitchen.  A  convenient,  well  regulated  kitchen  will  do 
much  to  insure  the  comfort  of  the  family  and  therefore 
should  receive  first  consideration  in  planning  the  home. 
The  kitchen  is  the  woman's  workshop,  and  it  has  been 
truthfully  said,  "A  smiling  kitchen  makes  a  happy 
cook." 

The  large,  rambling  kitchen  of  our  grandmothers, 
with  its  big  closets,  storerooms  and  pantries,  with  its  high 
ceilings  and  heavy  oak  beams  stained  with  smoke,  and 
with  an  occasional  spiderweb,  with  its  strings  of  onions 
and  herbs  hung  from  its  walls,  with  its  long  rows  of 
brass,  copper  and  pewter  saucepans  and  pots  that 
required  tremendous  effort  to  keep  clean;  with  its  wide 
fireplace  full  of  sooty  hooks  and  cranes  that  hung  from 
some  mysterious  place  above,  is  a  thing  of  the  past. 

There  was  another  kitchen  of  the  olden  times,  com- 
mon throughout  the  South,  a  little  one-room  cabin  built 
of  logs,  situated  under  the  shade  of  some  big  tree,  at 
least  fifty  yards  from  the  '  *  big  house, ' '  and  usually  pre- 
sided over  by  a  colored  cook  almost  as  large  as  the  cabin 
itself.  She  was  queen  of  her  domain  and  was  held  in 
awe  both  by  the  mistress  and  by  the  younger  genera- 
tion. It  was  around  this  kitchen  door  that  the  little 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  25 

slave  babies  from  the  " quarters"  down  by  the  spring 
played  and  were  "looked  after"  by  "Black  Mammy," 
while  their  own  mothers  wove  homespun  in  the  attic  of 
the  ' '  big  house. ' '  Here,  too,  was  the  gathering  place  of 
the  grown-up  negroes  from  the  plantation  on  moonlight 
evenings.  This  kitchen  has  long  ago  tumbled  down,  and 
exists  only  in  romance.  It  was  practical  in  its  day  and 
had  many  good  features  to  justify  its  existence. 

With  our  grandmothers  housekeeping  was  a  business. 
They  usually  had  plenty  of  help,  and  time  then  was  not 
considered  as  valuable  as  it  is  today. 

At  the  present  time  most  housewives  are  forced  to  do 
all  or  a  part  of  their  own  work,  hence  the  development 
of  the  modern  kitchen.  The  kitchen  of  today  should  be 
convenient,  well  lighted,  well  ventilated,  easy  to  keep 
clean,  comfortable  and  attractive.  It  often  has  to  serve 
both  as  dining  room  and  sitting  room,  therefore  it  should 
be  cheerful.  A  well  appointed  kitchen  should  be  the 
most  attractive  room  in  the  house,  and  not  merely  the 
place  where  the  cooking  is  done  and  where  the  dishes  are 
washed. 

The  writers  on  domestic  economy  in  recent  years, 
almost  without  exception,  advocate  a  small,  compact 
kitchen.  Theoretically  this  is  all  right,  as  it  saves  a 
housewife  steps,  and  step-saving  is  the  keynote  of  the 
modern  kitchen.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that 
steps  may  be  saved  without  sacrificing  room,  light  or  ven- 
tilation. By  arranging  a  large  kitchen  so  that  the  con- 
veniences in  most  common  use  are  placed  as  near  together 
as  possible,  the  housewife  can  economize  steps  and  still 
have  the  freedom  of  the  rest  of  the  room.  There  is  a 


26  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

feeling  of  luxury  and  a  suggestion  of  comfort  in  a  big, 
roomy  kitchen,  that  is  cool  in  summer  and  warm  in 
winter.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  ventilate  a  small 
kitchen  well  enough  in  summer  to  keep  it  cool.  I  prefer 
to  cling  to  the  old  style  of  the  big  room  with  the  high 
ceiling  that  reminds  one  of  the  old-time  kitchen  on  the 
farm.  My  kitchen  is  16  by  20  feet,  with  a  9-foot  ceiling, 
and  it  is  not  any  too  large.  There  are  times  in  the 
summer,  during  the  rush  of  work  of  the  canning  season, 
when  nearly  all  of  this  space  is  needed. 

A  few  years  ago  I  bought  an  old  plantation  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  dwelling  house  and  outbuildings  were  char- 
acteristic of  an  old,  run-down  farm,  and  it  took  a  person 
of  somewhat  optimistic  frame  of  mind  to  see  the  possi- 
bilities of  making  the  farmhouse  habitable.  However,  as 
I  had  spent  part  of  my  early  life  in  somewhat  the  same 
kind  of  a  house,  I  knew  it  was  possible  to  live  in  it.  It 
is  sometimes  cheaper  to  pull  down  an  old  house  and  put 
up  a  new  one  in  its  stead,  but  to  me  there  was  something 
fascinating  about  remodeling  that  old  house,  and  I  did  it. 
It  was  during  this  work  that  I  got  my  first  experience 
in  arranging  a  kitchen  upon  scientific  lines,  and  when 
it  was  all  over  I  was  a  little  bit  proud  of  my  efforts.  I 
found  it  was  possible  to  have  as  neat  and  as  convenient 
a  kitchen  in  the  country  as  in  the  city. 

All  who  try  to  remodel  an  old  kitchen  will  find  that 
difficulties  will  arise,  due  to  previous  construction,  that 
will  make  it  practically  impossible  to  follow  out  the 
original  working  plan  and  make  a  perfect  job  of  it.  I 
found  this  so  and  therefore  the  reader  will  have  to  par- 
don me  if  I  theorize  in  some  respects  in  order  to  make 
the  working  plan  coincide  with  what  really  happened. 


ECONOMY  JN  THE  KITCHEN  27 

Fig.  1  represents  the  working  plan  of  my  remodeled 
kitchen.  Previous  to  the  rearrangement  it  was  a  fair 
representative  of  the  ordinary  farm  kitchen,  in  which 
little  thought  had  been  given  to  convenience.  The  stove 
was  in  the  center,  and  the  other  pieces  of  furniture  scat- 
tered about  the  room,  which  involved  miles  of  steps 
during  the  preparation  of  a  meal.  Fortunately  the 
kitchen  here  had  the  right  exposure,  facing  the  north, 
thus  allowing  the  windows  on  the  east  and  west  sides  to 
furnish  an  excellent  cross  draft. 

The  floor  which,  preferably,  should  have  been  of  hard- 
wood, was  covered  with  linoleum,  which  is  without  doubt 
the  best  floor  covering  for  the  kitchen,  the  only  objection 
being  that  it  seems  cold  to  stand  on.  This  was  obviated 
by  placing  a  few  washable  rag  rugs  where  there  was 
much  standing  to  be  done. 

For  the  walls  a  wainscoting,  painted  a  light  brown, 
three  feet  high  was  put  in.  The  space  above  the 
wainscoting,  as  well  as  the  ceiling,  was  painted  a  light 
buff  with  enamel  paint.  This  may  be  readily  washed 
or  cleaned  with  a  wall  broom.  The  color  of  the  kitchen 
wall  should  be  determined  by  the  amount  of  light  in  the 
room.  Very  dark  kitchens  require  light  walls  and  ceil- 
ings, while  very  light  kitchens  may  be  painted  in  darker 
colors. 

The  windows  were  thirty-four  inches  above  the  floor. 
They  were  extended  to  the  ceiling  and  arranged  to  pull 
down  from  the  top.  When  heated,  air  always  expands 
and  therefore  rises  and,  ordinarily,  accumulates  against 
the  ceiling.  If  the  windows  do  not  extend  all  the  way 
up  a  pocket  is  formed  against  the  ceiling,  which  often 


28  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

gets  over  ten  degrees  hotter  than  the  lower  part  of  the 
room.  By  extending  the  windows  upward  and  pulling 
down  the  sashes,  a  cross  draft  will  sweep  the  heated  air 
out  and  keep  the  kitchen  cool.  The  odors  of  cooking 
also  escape  in  this  way.  Roller  shades  and  screens  of  a 
good  quality  were  placed  at  the  windows.  The  outside 
window,  near  the  sink  and  drain  board,  was  designed  to 
give  light  for  the  dishwashing.  Above  the  sink  is 
another  window,  opening  into  the  pantry,  and  closed 
with  a  glass  slide,  at  the  base  of  which  is  a  shelf  wide 
enough  to  hold  the  dishes  that  come  in  from  the  dining 
room  to  be  washed  and  returned  to  the  pantry  shelves. 

The  doors  between  the  dining  room  and  kitchen  were 
made  to  swing  both  ways  and  each  had  a  small  glass 
panel  placed  in  the  center.  They  may  be  easily  opened 
by  any  one  with  both  hands  full,  while  the  glass  panels 
prevent  collisions,  by  enabling  persons  to  see  one 
another  when  going  in  the  opposite  direction. 

The  range  was  then  moved  over  to  the  side  next  to 
the  dining  room,  and  a  sink  and  kitchen  cabinet  placed 
in  the  positions  shown  in  the  diagram.  Many  of  the 
conveniences  which  will  hereafter  be  mentioned  were 
then  installed,  but  the  fundamental  idea  of  the  re- 
arrangement was  the  placing  of  those  conveniences  that 
are  in  most  common  use,  the  range,  sink  and  cabinet, 
close  to  the  dining  room  door  and  as  close  together  as 
possible. 

"Whether  or  not  a  house  is  supplied  with  running 
water,  a  sink  is  one  of  the  necessities  of  the  kitchen. 
The  galvanized  iron  sink,  with  one  hundred  feet  of  drain 
pipe  in  the  house  costs  only  $6.  A  porcelain  lined  or 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  29 

enameled  sink,  while  a  little  more  expensive,  is  much 
more  desirable.     The  plumbing  below  the  sink  and  drain 


Fig.  2 


board  was  left  open  to  avoid  furnishing  a  hiding  place 
for  bugs  and  a  place  for  dirt  to  collect.     It  has  been 


30  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

my  experience  that  water  bugs  and  roaches  will  not 
come  into  a  house  unless  they  have  a  place  to  hide.  A 
3-inch  terra  cotta  drain  pipe  led  to  a  small  cesspool 
about  one  hundred  feet  away.  On  the  right  of  the 
sink  were  installed  a  drain  board  and  drain  rack,  see 
Fig.  2.  This  simple  little  fixture  probably  saves  more 
work  than  any  other  one  of  the  smaller  items  of  the 
kitchen.  I  made  it  myself  in  a  very  short  time,  with 
very  little  expense.  It  was  devised  as  a  substitute  for 
the  familiar  dish  cloth.  The  upright  board  or  rack  is 
fitted  with  a  convenient  number  of  pegs  upon  which 
cups,  glasses,  bowls,  etc.,  are  hung  to  drain.  The  lower 
board  is  fitted  with  grooves  to  carry  off  the  water,  which 
drains  from  the  dishes.  On  either  side  is  a  narrow  strip 
and  across  the  bottom  are  nailed  other  strips,  one  inch 
wide  and  one  inch  apart.  The  plates,  saucers  and  other 
flat  dishes  may  be  taken  from  the  hot  rinse  water  and 
placed  between  the  cross  strips  of  the  board  in  an  almost 
upright  position.  The  hot  dishes  will  drain  readily  and 
dry  in  a  few  minutes.  This  will  eliminate  the  tiresome 
process  of  "drying  the  dishes."  This  is  another  item 
that  I  learned  in  the  chemical  laboratory ;  you  will  never 
see  a  chemist  using  a  cloth  to  dry  his  dishes.  A  shallow 
wire  basket,  designed  to  hold  knives,  forks  and  spoons, 
was  purchased  for  10  cents  and  nailed  to  the  wall  above 
the  drain  board  and  out  of  the  way  of  the  other  dishes. 

What  the  plow  is  to  the  farmer,  the  cook  stove  is 
to  the  housewife.  In  furnishing  a  kitchen,  therefore, 
the  first  consideration  should  be  given  to  the  stove  or 
range.  There  are  so  many  good  stoves  upon  the  market 
that  it  is  usually  an  easy  matter  to  find  one  that  is  well 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  31 

adapted  to  the  needs  of  any  particular  kitchen.  The 
value  of  the  stove  depends  largely  upon  the  efficiency 
of  its  use  and  the  economy  of  fuel.  Some  of  the  large 
ranges  are  so  well  constructed  and  insulated  that  they 
require  less  fuel  than  the  smaller  stoves  and  at  the 
same  time  give  out  less  heat  into  the  room.  Other  con- 
siderations being  equal,  a  large  range  should  be  selected 
in  preference  to  a  small  one.  There  is  a  feeling  of  com- 
fort in  always  having  plenty  of  room  in  the  oven  and  on 
top  of  the  stove.  My  range  is  32  by  36  inches.  A  hood 
made  of  sheet  iron  was  placed  over  it  to  carry  off  the 
odors  and  smoke  of  cooking  and  the  heat  of  the  range. 
This  necessitated  an  extra  flue  in  the  chimney.  Care 
should  be  taken  to  avoid  reducing  the  size  of  the  pipe 
of  a  range.  A  range  fitted  to  carry  a  7-inch  pipe  with 
an  ordinary  draft  may  be  reduced  to  a  6-inch  flue,  but 
it  is  never  safe  to  reduce  one  of  7-inch  dimensions  to 
five  inches  or  less.  Many  of  the  troubles  the  housewife 
has  with  her  range  can  be  traced  to  this  cause. 

The  hot  water  tank,  which  is  usually  a  collector  of 
dust  both  on  the  top  and  underneath,  and  is  always  hard 
to  keep  clean,  was  inclosed  in  a  little  cupboard,  a  small 
door  only  being  left  at  the  side. 

The  roomy  provision  closet  has  a  large  window  on  one 
side  and  all  the  rest  of  the  wall  space  was  fitted  with 
strong  shelves,  from  three  feet  above  the  floor  up  to  the 
ceiling.  In  this  closet  can  be  kept  a  supply  of  potatoes, 
a  barrel  of  flour,  and  a  barrel  of  apples,  and  a  supply  of 
canned  fruit  and  vegetables. 

The  cold  box  outside  of  the  provision  closet  window 
can  be  used  in  place  of  the  refrigerator  for  a  great  part 


32  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

of  the  year.  Cooked  vegetables  keep  better  in  a  well 
ventilated  box  than  in  a  refrigerator.  This  box  is  really 
only  a  frame  of  wood  covered  with  ordinary  wire  screen. 
This  is  an  improvement  on  the  old  fashioned  safe  that 
used  to  sit  up  on  high  legs  under  a  tree  out  in  the  back 
yard.  The  box  rests  on  a  shelf  and  is  fastened  to  the 
window  sill  with  two  stout  hooks.  It  can  be  taken  down 
occasionally  and  scalded  out.  The  lid  is  made  of  zinc, 
fits  tightly  and  is  fastened  down  with  a  hook.  Food 
placed  in  this  box  is,  of  course,  always  covered. 

The  work  table  is  40  by  72  inches  and  is  covered 
with  zinc,  which  is  easily  cleaned,  and  hot  cooking  uten- 
sils may  be  set  upon  it  without  any  danger  of  burning. 
It  is  fitted  with  casters,  so  that  it  may  easily  be  rolled 
back  and  forth  the  length  of  the  room.  The  convenience 
of  casters  on  the  kitchen  table  will  be  a  surprise  to  most 
housewives.  A  set  can  be  bought  for  25  cents  and  put 
on  in  a  few  minutes.  During  the  summer  the  table  can 
be  pushed  over  near  the  windows  and  the  dinner  pre- 
pared away  from  the  heat  of  the  stove  and  in  a  better 
light.  During  the  canning  season  the  fruits  and  vege- 
tables may  also  be  prepared  with  the  table  near  the 
windows  and,  when  everything  is  ready  for  cooking,  it 
may  be  pushed  over  near  the  stove.  The  height  of  this 
table  is  thirty-four  inches,  as  this  was  determined  to  be 
the  most  convenient  height  for  the  person  who  was  to 
use  it. 

All  kitchen  shelves  should  be  inclosed,  thus  keeping 
everything  out  of  sight  and  out  of  the  dust.  The  built- 
in  cupboard  in  my  kitchen  is  24  by  96  inches  and  has 
upper  and  lower  compartments,  each  equipped  with  a 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  33 

separate  pair  of  doors  which  open  outward.  If  sliding 
doors  could  be  guaranteed  in  a  kitchen  they  would  be 
found  to  be  a  great  convenience,  but  the  heat  and  steam 
of  cooking  is  almost  sure  to  cause  such  doors  to  swell  and 
stick,  therefore  it  is  best  to  dispense  with  them  in  the 
beginning.  This  cupboard  has  ample  proportions.  The 
kitchen  utensils  are  stored  in  the  lower  compartments 
and  the  kitchen  crockery  and  small  items  of  kitchen 
equipment  are  stored  in  the  upper  compartments. 

The  safe  was  placed  in  the  corner  of  the  room 
farthest  from  the  heat  of  the  range.  As  this  is  made  of 
perforated  tin  and  well  ventilated,  much  of  the  cooked 
food,  crackers,  the  cooky  box  and  the  jam  for  the  chil- 
dren's lunches  are  kept  in  it. 

The  kitchen  cabinet  was  placed  between  the  two  big 
windows  on  the  side  of  the  room  next  to  the  sink.  Here 
the  housewife  can  sit  on  a  high  stool  and  prepare  the 
greater  part  of  each  meal.  The  modern  kitchen  cabinet 
is  designed  primarily  to  save  the  housewife  time  and 
labor  and  to  keep  her  off  her  feet  as  much  as  possible. 
The  ' '  handy  man  around  the  house ' '  can  make  one  with 
very  little  expense.  In  the  cabinet  are  stored  all  the 
materials  for  the  baking  of  bread,  cakes  and  pies.  The 
flour  bin  is  there  with  its  rotary  sifter,  and  the  sugar 
bin,  the  spice  jars  and  the  rack  of  flavoring  extracts, 
the  coffee,  tea,  baking  powder  and  rice,  as  well  as  the 
bread  board  and  rolling  pin.  At  one  side  are  the  linen 
and  cutlery  drawers  and  the  metal  bread  box,  while 
underneath  is  a  closed  space  for  the  aluminum  and 
lighter  cooking  utensils. 

The  utility  closet  at  one  end  of  the  butler's  pantry 


34 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


Fig.  3 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  35 

was  designed  to  hold  brooms,  aprons,  dust  pans  and  the 
like.  The  refrigerator  was  placed  at  the  other  end  of 
the  pantry,  close  by  a  window.  If  desired  it  can  be 
filled  with  ice  through  the  window  above  it.  Opposite 
the  refrigerator  is  a  closet  with  glass  doors  for  the  dining 
room  china. 

This  remodeled  kitchen  (Fig.  3),  while  perhaps  not 
perfect  in  every  detail,  represents  very  closely  my  idea 
of  what  a  kitchen  should  be.  I  did  nearly  all  of  the 
work  myself  at  odd  times,  upon  holidays  and  whenever 
I  could  spare  the  time  from  my  regular  work.  I  advise 
every  housewife  to  consider  her  own  needs  and  study 
the  possibilities  of  her  own  kitchen.  Nearly  every 
kitchen  can  be  improved  without  a  large  outlay  of 
money.  The  kitchen  on  the  farm  can  be  made  just  as 
convenient  and  just  as  attractive  as  the  kitchen  in  the 
city. 

A  SMALL  KITCHEN 

To  many  housewives  a  kitchen  16  by  20  feet  seems 
entirely  too  large.  For  a  bungalow  or  a  house  for  a 
family  of  two  or  three,  a  smaller  kitchen  might  be  more 
convenient.  The  floor  plan  of  a  convenient  small  kitchen 
is  shown  in  Fig.  3.  Here  again  the  idea  of  keeping 
the  range,  the  cabinet  and  sink  as  near  together  as  pos- 
sible is  carried  out,  the  sink  in  this  case  being  in  the 
pantry.  The  work  shelf  beside  the  sink  is  on  hinges  to 
allow  it  to  be  let  down  out  of  the  way  when  not  in  use. 
The  refrigerator  at  the  end  of  the  pantry  has  an  outside 
door.  It  is  usually  best,  especially  in  a  small  kitchen, 
to  have  all  cupboards  and  shelves  built  into  the  walls. 


36  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


EQUIPPING  A  KITCHEN 

The  best  equipped  kitchen  is  not  necessarily  the  one 
that  contains  the  greatest  number  of  the  so-called  labor 
saving  devices.  Many  of  the  small  patented  articles 
advertised  so  extensively  at  the  present  day  and  advo- 
cated by  the  * '  Household  Guides ' '  for  use  in  the  kitchen 
are  impractical.  They  run  up  the  expense  and  detract 
from  one  of  the  fundamental  ideas  of  the  kitchen — 
simplicity.  The  best  way  for  the  housewife  to  peel  a 
potato,  for  example,  is  in  the  old-fashioned  way,  with  a 
knife,  and  not  with  a  patented  potato  peeler.  At  the 
recent  Panama  Pacific  Exposition,  a  model  bungalow 
was  built  and  equipped  for  two  persons.  In  the  kitchen 
of  this  little  bungalow  was  a  dishwashing  machine  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  a  moderate  sized  hotel.  It  is 
not  such  labor  saving  machines  as  this,  but  the  simple 
little  inexpensive  conveniences  that  work  themselves  into 
every  day  use.  For  example,  a  5-cent  stiff  brush  for 
cleaning  saucepans  and  kettles,  a  strainer  fastened 
securely  in  the  sink  to  prevent  crumbs  from  stopping  up 
the  drain  pipe,  an  asbestos  pad  for  picking  up  the  hot 
cooking  utensils,  or  a  wooden  spoon  for  use  in  cooking 
vegetables — many  such  things  as  simple  as  these,  which 
may  be  made  at  home  or  purchased  for  5  or  10  cents, 
become  almost  indispensable  after  the  housewife  has 
become  accustomed  to  their  use.  One-half  of  the  arti- 
cles outlined  in  the  long  list  of  the  "Household  Guides" 
are  either  not  necessary  or  are  not  practical. 

Aluminum  is  without  doubt  the  best  material  for 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  37 

kitchen  utensils.  For  most  purposes  it  is  as  far  superior 
to  enameled  ware  as  enameled  ware  is  to  the  old-time 
iron  or  tin.  It  is  light  and  attractive  and  easy  to  keep 
clean,  and  most  housewives  who  have  a  supply  take  pride 
in  their  aluminum  and  experience  genuine  pleasure  in 
keeping  it  bright.  It  is  true  that  the  initial  cost  is  a 
little  high,  but  considering  the  amount  of  wear  that  it 
gives  it  is  the  most  economical.  I  purchased  my  first 
piece  of  aluminum,  an  8-quart  preserving  kettle,  ten 
years  ago.  This  has  been  in  constant  use  ever  since,  and 
it  is  as  good  now  as  it  was  the  day  it  was  bought.  It 
cost  $1.25,  and  an  enameled  kettle  of  the  same  size  would 
cost  about  75  cents  and  would  wear  out  in  about  two 
years  with  hard  usage. 

The  housewife  is  not  advised  to  discard  all  enam- 
eled or  tin  kitchen  utensils  and  replace  them  with 
aluminum  at  once,  but  when  a  piece  of  enameled  or  tin 
ware  wears  out,  it  is  well  to  replace  it  with  aluminum. 
The  expense  then  will  not  be  felt  and  in  a  few  years  she 
will  have  a  full  supply  of  aluminum.  The  old-fashioned 
black  iron  frying  pans  and  muffin  rings,  polished  on  the 
inside  or  worn  smooth  by  long  usage,  are,  however, 
superior  to  aluminum  ones.  A  good  pair  of  scales  in 
the  kitchen  will  pay  for  themselves  in  a  short  time.  An 
open-faced  clock,  in  addition  to  being  a  step  saver,  will 
add  cheeriness  to  the  room.  Keep  a  supply  of  red  and 
black  pepper,  salt  and  a  flour  dredge  on  a  shelf  near  the 
range,  convenient  for  use  while  cooking. 

Every  housewife  knows  her  individual  needs  better 
than  anyone  else  and  does  not  need  to  be  told  of  them, 
but,  as  I  have  said  before,  she  has  not  thought  seriously 


38  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

of  her  own  convenience,  she  is  not  systematic,  and  insists 
upon  doing  things  in  the  longest  and  hardest  way.  Sys- 
tematize and  study  your  needs.  You  can  afford  the  little, 
conveniences  that  mean  so  much  in  the  way  of  time  and 
steps.  Even  with  the  things  already  on  hand  a  little 
planning  and  rearrangement  will  work  wonders. 


CANNING  VEGETABLES 

Probably  no  one  item  in  kitchen  management  means 
so  much  to  the  housewife,  not  only  with  respect  to  econ- 
omy, but  to  health  and  general  good  living,  as  the  can- 
ning of  vegetables.  A  healthful  diet  must  include 
vegetables.  The  housewife  knows  this  and  to  keep  her 
table  supplied  during  the  winter  months  is  one  of  the 
hardest  problems  that  she  has.  What  can  I  have  for 
dinner  today  ?  is  a  question  often  heard.  In  the  summer 
time  when  there  are  plenty  of  vegetables  out  in  the 
garden,  her  troubles  are  few  in  this  respect,  but  when 
the  winter  comes  on  she  wants  a  nutritious  dinner  for 
her  husband  and  her  children.  I  know  from  experience 
that  her  pantry,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  is  not  over 
supplied,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  she  often  asks  herself 
this  question. 

In  order  to  insure  an  abundance  of  vegetables  for 
last  summer's  use  from  her  garden  she  probably  planted 
twice  as  much  as  she  really  needed.  The  surplus  that 
was  not  given  away  went  to  waste.  I  have  seen  it  demon- 
strated a  great  many  times  that  enough  vegetables 
annually  go  to  waste  from  a  garden  to  supply  the  table 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  39 

during  the  winter.  But  usually  the  housewife  cans  a 
few  tomatoes,  preserves  some  fruit  and  leaves  her  most 
nutritious  vegetables  to  decay  in  the  field,  under  the 
impression  that  it  is  impossible  to  keep  them.  This  is 
a  great  mistake.  It  is  just  as  easy  to  keep  sweet  corn, 
string  beans  or  English  peas  as  it  is  to  keep  tomatoes, 
if  only  you  go  about  it  in  the  right  way.  Every  house- 
wife should  run  a  miniature  canning  factory  in  her  own 
kitchen. 

Here  again  I  will  say  that  I  practice  what  I  preach. 
For  a  good  many  years  my  wife  and  I  have  canned  for 
each  winter  over  a  thousand  quarts  of  fruits  and  vege- 
tables— mostly  vegetables.  Every  vegetable  that  grows 
in  our  latitude  and  is  served  cooked  is  canned  at  our 
house.  It  is  so  easy  and  is  becoming  easier  as  time  goes 
on,  and  we  develop  more  system.  We  do  not  lose  one  jar 
out  of  a  hundred,  and  every  housewife  can  do  equally 
as  well,  if  not  better. 

My  garden  is  less  than  three-quarters  of  an  acre,  yet 
it  supplies  us  with  vegetables  during  the  summer  season 
and  gives  us  an  ample  surplus  for  canning.  It  is  won- 
derful how  much  can  be  produced  upon  a  little  space  of 
ground  if  it  is  properly  managed.  Miss  Salina  Smith, 
one  of  the  girls  in  the  club  work  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture,  canned  over  a  thousand  cans  of  tomatoes 
from  one-tenth  of  an  acre.  In  the  summer  season  there 
is  always  something  to  can  upon  the  farm  and  the  best 
kind  of  economy  that  I  know  of  consists  in  taking  care 
of  these  products  that  would  ordinarily  go  to  waste. 
Exercise  a  little  foresight  and  store  up  things  in  the  time 
of  plenty. 


40  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

While  there  need  not  be  any  especial  rush  during  the 
canning  season,  all  the  vegetables  must  be  canned  as  they 
come  along.  You  will  have  to  put  other  things  aside  if 
you  are  to  can  successfully,  for  when  vegetables  are  ready 
they  should  be  canned.  It  is  poor  economv  to  delay  until 
they  are  old  or  half  spoiled. 

A  man  can  help  his  wife  so  much  in  this  way.  Many 
times  have  I  come  home  from  work  in  the  afternoon  and 
gathered,  prepared  and  canned  as  much  as  twenty  quarts 
of  vegetables.  Of  course  with  some  vegetables  I  could 
not  work  so  rapidly,  but  with  such  things  as  tomatoes 
or  beets,  there  is  very  little  labor  involved.  These  were 
canned  and  sterilized  while  my  wife  was  cooking  supper. 
They  were  seasoned  and,  of  course,  well  cooked  in  the 
process  of  canning,  and  were  set  away  in  the  store- 
room, ready  to  be  opened  and  served  upon  ten  minutes' 
notice. 

About  ten  years  ago  I  stopped  eating  meat,  not  from 
religious  or  sentimental  reasons,  but  on  account  of  my 
digestion.  My  diet  was  largely  restricted  to  vegetables, 
and  in  the  winter  I  found  great  difficulty  in  getting  such 
as  were  palatable  and  nicely  canned.  My  sympathies 
still  go  out  to  the  people  who  have  to  live  out  of  tin  cans. 
I  could  can  tomatoes  and  fruits,  but  when  I  tried  string 
beans  and  okra  I  made  a  failure.  A  majority  of  house- 
wives have  had  this  same  experience.  One  day  in  my 
laboratory  I  noticed  a  scientist  sterilizing  some  material 
that  he  intended  to  use  for  cultures  to  grow  bacteria  in. 
I  noticed  that  he  stopped  up  the  little  tubes  containing 
the  material  with  cotton  and  heated  them  up  to  the  tem- 
perature of  boiling  water  for  thirty  minutes  on  one  day, 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  41 

waited  until  the  next  day  and  heated  them  another 
thirty  minutes.  I  inquired  why  he  gave  the  tubes  two 
heatings  and  he  explained  it  to  me. 

I  saw  the  possibility  of  applying  this  system  to  the 
canning  of  vegetables,  and  since  that  time  I  have  not  had 
to  depend  upon  the  canning  factory  for  my  winter  sup- 
ply. I  wrote  up  my  experience  for  the  benefit  of  others, 
and  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  canning  work  in  the 
Department  of  Agriculture. 

The  art  of  canning  or  preserving,  in  one  form  or 
another,  is  almost  as  old  as  history  itself.  The  Chinese 
possessed  this  secret  long  before  the  era  of  modern  civil- 
ization. They  sterilized  their  fruits  and  vegetables  and 
made  preserves  and  jellies,  but  the  " reasons  why"  which 
lay  back  of  the  art  have  only  been  recently  explained. 


STERILIZATION 

The  great  secret  of  canning  or  preserving  lies  in  what 
is  known  as  complete  sterilization.  The  air  we  breathe, 
the  water  we  drink,  all  fruits  and  vegetables,  are  teeming 
with  minute  forms  of  life  which  we  call  bacteria,  or 
molds,  or  germs.  These  germs  are  practically  the  sole 
cause  of  decomposition  or  rotting.  The  exclusion  of  air 
from  canned  articles,  which  was  formerly  supposed  to 
be  so  important,  is  unnecessary,  provided  the  air  is  free 
from  germs.  The  exclusion  of  air  is  necessary  only 
because  in  excluding  it  we  exclude  the  germs.  In  other 
words,  air  which  has  been  sterilized  or  freed  from  germs 
by  heat  or  mechanical  means  can  be  passed  continuously 


42  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

over  canned  articles  without  affecting  them  in  the  least. 
If  a  glass  bottle  is  filled  with  some  vegetable  which  ordi- 
narily spoils  very  rapidly — for  instance,  string  beans — 
and,  instead  of  a  cork,  is  stoppered  with  a  thick  plug 
of  raw  cotton  and  heated  until  all  germ  life  is  destroyed, 
the  beans  will  keep  indefinitely.  The  air  can  readily 
pass  in  and  out  of  the  bottle  through  the  plug  of  cotton, 
while  the  germs  from  the  outside  air  can  not  pass 
through,  but  are  caught  and  held  in  its  meshes.  This 
shows  that  the  germs  and  their  spores  or  seeds  are  the 
only  causes  of  spoilage  that  we  have  to  deal  with  in 
canning. 

Germs  which  cause  decay  may  be  divided  into  three 
classes — yeasts,  molds  and  bacteria.  All  three  of  these 
are  themselves  plants  of  a  very  low  order,  and  all  attack 
plants  of  a  higher  order  in  somewhat  the  same  way. 
Every  housewife  is  familiar  with  the  yeast  plant  and  its 
habits.  It  thrives  in  substances  containing  sugar,  which 
it  decomposes  or  breaks  up  into  carbonic  acid  and  alco- 
hol. This  fact  is  made  use  of  in  bread  making,  as  well 
as  in  the  manufacture  of  distilled  spirits.  Yeasts  are 
easily  killed,  so  they  can  be  left  out  of  consideration  in 
canning  vegetables.  Molds,  like  yeasts,  thrive  in  mix- 
tures containing  sugar,  as  well  as  in  acid  vegetables, 
such  as  the  tomato,  where  neither  yeasts  nor  bacteria 
readily  grow.  Although  more  resistant  to  heat  than 
yeasts,  they  are  usually  killed  at  the  temperature  of  boil- 
ing water.  As  a  general  rule  molds  are  likely  to  attack 
fruits,  jellies  and  preserves,  and  are  not  concerned  with 
the  spoiling  of  canned  vegetables.  The  spoiling  of  vege- 
tables is  due  primarily  to  bacteria. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  43 

Bacteria  are  also  much  more  resistant  to  heat  than 
yeasts.  They  thrive  in  products  like  milk  and  in  meats 
and  vegetables  rich  in  protein,  such  as  peas,  beans,  etc. 
All  known  species  of  molds  require  air  in  which  to  work. 
This  is  not  true  of  bacteria,  certain  species  of  which  will 
live  and  cause  vegetables  to  decompose  even  when  no 
air  is  present.  When  these  particular  species  are  pres- 
ent the  exclusion  of  air  is  no  safeguard  against  decay, 
unless  the  vegetable  is  first  thoroughly  sterilized.  Bac- 
teria are  so  small  that  they  can  only  be  seen  with  a 
microscope,  and  they  reproduce  themselves  with  amazing 
rapidity.  One  bacterium,  under  favorable  conditions, 
will  produce  about  twenty  millions  in  the  course  of 
twenty- four  hours.  Accordingly  certain  vegetables  spoil 
more  rapidly  than  others,  because  they  furnish  a  better 
medium  for  bacterial  growth. 

The  reproduction  of  bacteria  is  brought  about  by  one 
of  two  processes.  The  germ  either  divides  itself  into 
two  parts,  making  two  bacteria  where  one  existed  before, 
or  else  reproduces  itself  by  means  of  spores.  These 
spores  may  be  compared  to  seeds  of  an  ordinary  plant, 
and  they  present  the  chief  difficulty  in  canning  vege- 
tables. "While  the  parent  bacteria  may  be  readily  killed 
at  the  temperature  of  boiling  water,  the  seeds  retain  their 
vitality  for  a  long  time  even  at  that  temperature,  and 
upon  cooling  will  germinate,  and  the  newly  formed  bac- 
teria will  begin  their  destructive  work.  Therefore  it  is 
necessary,  in  order  to  completely  sterilize  a  vegetable,  to 
heat  it  to  the  boiling  point  of  water  and  keep  it  at  that 
temperature  for  about  an  hour,  upon  two  successive  days, 
or  else  keep  it  at  the  temperature  of  boiling  water  for  a 


44  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

long  period  of  time — sometimes  as  much  as  five  hours. 
The  process  of  boiling  upon  successive  days  is  always 
employed  in  scientific  work  and  is  the  one  I  always  use, 
except  with  such  vegetables  as  beets,  which  are  very 
easily  sterilized.  The  boiling  on  the  first  day  kills  all 
the  molds  and  practically  all  the  bacteria,  but  does  not 
kill  the  spores  or  seeds. 

As  soon  as  the  jar  cools  these  seeds  germinate  and 
a  fresh  crop  of  bacteria  begin  to  work  upon  the  vege- 
tables. The  boiling  upon  the  second  day  kills  this  crop 
of  bacteria  before  they  have  had  time  to  develop  spores. 
Among  scientists  this  is  called  fractional  sterilization, 
and  this  principle  constitutes  the  whole  secret  of  can- 
ning. If  the  housewife  will  only  bear  this  in  mind  she 
will  be  able,  with  a  little  ingenuity,  to  can  any  fruit  or 
vegetable. 

Even  after  sterilization  is  complete  the  work  is  not 
yet  done.  The  spores  of  bacteria  are  so  light  that  they 
float  about  in  the  air  and  settle  upon  almost  everything. 
The  air  is  alive  with  them.  Therefore  it  is  necessary, 
after  sterilizing  a  jar  of  vegetables,  to  exclude  carefully 
all  outside  air.  If  one  bacterium  or  one  of  its  spores 
should  get  in  and  find  a  resting  place,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  days  the  contents  of  the  jar  would  spoil.  This  is 
why  the  exclusion  of  air  is  an  important  factor,  not 
because  the  air  itself  does  any  damage,  but  because  of  the 
ever  present  bacteria. 

I  advise  every  housewife  to  read  this  chapter  over 
and  study  it  until  she  thoroughly  understands  what  it 
means.  When  she  does  understand,  it  will  throw  much 
light  upon  many  experiences  that  she  has  had  before. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  45 

She  will  know  why  it  is  that  she  has  been  able  to  keep 
tomatoes  and  has  failed  with  lima  beans  or  sweet  corn. 
Tomatoes  contain  only  a  few  molds,  while  sweet  corn  has 
some  of  the  most  resistant  bacteria. 

PRESERVING  POWDERS 

I  am  often  asked  about  the  so-called  preserving  pow- 
ders. There  are  a  great  many  such  powders  on  the 
market  and  they  usually  do  what  is  claimed  for  them, 
that  is,  they  prevent  the  decay  of  the  fruit  or  vegetable. 
Recipes  for  such  powders  are  sold  by  agents  and  peddlers 
throughout  the  country.  In  the  directions  for  use  the 
housewife  is  told  to  fill  the  jar  with  the  fruit  or  vegetable 
to  be  canned,  to  cover  with  water  and  to  add  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  the  powder.  They  usually  consist  of  benzoate  of 
soda,  boric  acid,  salicylic  acid,  or  some  preservative  of 
that  nature.  While  I  am  not  afraid  to  use  them  myself, 
I  certainly  would  not  feed  to  my  children  vegetables 
that  had  been  preserved  in  them.  They  encourage  care- 
less and  uncleanly  work,  and  it  is  a  "lazy  man's"  way 
of  doing  things  and  it  does  not  pay.  The  proper  way  to 
can  vegetables  is  by  heat,  and  this  can  be  done  so  easily 
that  I  never  recommend  preserving  powders. 

Before  the  National  Pure  Food  and  Drugs  Act  went 
into  effect  in  1906,  it  was  a  common  practice  for  com- 
mercial canners  to  use  some  kind  of  preservative,  espe- 
cially for  ketchups,  pickles,  relishes,  etc.  Now,  however, 
if  they  use  anything  they  must  so  print  it  upon  the  label 
and  the  housewife  is  thus  protected.  It  can  be  said  that 
few  first  class  canners  are  now  using  preservatives.  I 


46 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


advise  every  housewife  in  buying  canned  articles  to 
always  read  the  labels  and  to  refuse  any  article  that 
contains  benzoate  of  soda  or  any  other  form  of  preserva- 
tive. 

A  GOOD  JAR 

The  first  requisite  for  home  canning  is  a  good  jar. 
At  the  present  time  glass  is  much  more  economical  than 


Fig.  4 — Ordinary  screw-top  jar. 


Fig.   5 — Improved  serew-top  jar. 


tin,  as  No.  3  tin  cans  are  now  retailing  at  90  cents  a 
dozen.  As  it  is  advisable  to  use  these  only  once,  this 
price  makes  their  use  in  the  home  entirely  out  of  reason. 
The  housewife  who  has  to  buy  canned  vegetables  in  the 
near  future  is  likely  to  feel  this  increase  in  the  price  of 
tin.  Vegetables  put  up  in  tin  are  less  attractive  than 
when  put  up  in  glass.  This  is  quite  an  item  to  every 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


47 


housewife  who  takes  pride  in  the  appearance  of  her 
"canned  stuff." 

There  are  a  great  many  kinds  of  glass  jars  on  the 
market,  many  of  them  possessing  certain  distinct  points 
of  advantage.  The  ordinary  screw  top,  or  Mason  jar, 
is  the  one  in  most  common  use  (Fig.  4).  Although 
cheap  in  price,  these  jars  are  the  most  expensive  in  the 
long  run.  The  tops  last  only  a  few  years  and,  being 
cheaply  made,  the  breakage  is  usually  greater  than  in 


Fig.  6 — Jar  with  metal  lacquered  top. 

that  of  the  better  grade  of  jar.  The  tops  also  furnish 
an  excellent  hiding  place  for  germs,  which  makes  steril- 
ization more  difficult.  I  never  advise  canning  any  vege- 
table except  tomatoes  in  Mason  jars.  If  you  already 
have  a  supply  it  is  best  to  use  them  for  tomatoes  and 
fruits,  and  to  buy  a  more  improved  kind  for  vegetables. 
An  improved  type  of  screw  top  jar  is  shown  in  Fig  5. 


48  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

These  are  fitted  with  a  glass  top  held  in  place  by  a  metal 
cover  which  screws  down  over  the  neck  of  the  jar  If 
the  canning  or  sterilization  is  done  properly,  practically 
all  of  the  air  will  be  driven  out  of  the  jar  by  the  steam. 
Upon  cooling  this  is  condensed,  a  vacuum  is  formed  on 
the  inside  which  clamps  down  the  glass  top  against  the 
rubber  ring  and  seals  the  jar  automatically.  The  metal 
cover  can  then  be  removed,  as  the  pressure  of  the  outside 
air  will  hold  the  glass  top  securely  in  place. 

Another  type  of  jar  in  common  use  is  shown  in  Fig.  6. 
These  require  no  rubber  rings,  but  are  fitted  with  a 
metal  top,  lacquered  on  both  sides  and  having  a  groove 
around  the  lower  edge.  This  groove  contains  a  composi- 
tion of  the  consistency  of  rubber  which  is  softened  dur- 
ing the  canning  process  and  forms  a  seal  that  takes  the 
place  of  the  rubber  ring.  These  metal  tops  must  be 
renewed  each  year,  as  it  is  necessary  to  puncture  them 
in  order  to  open  the  jar.  I  have  used  them  but  do  not 
like  them. 

The  most  satisfactory  jar  that  I  have  had  any  experi- 
ence with  is  the  one  shown  in  Fig.  8.  This  has  a  rubber 
ring  and  glass  top  which  is  held  in  place  by  a  simple 
wire  spring.  There  are  several  brands  of  these  jars  on 
the  market,  so  no  difficulty  should  be  experienced  in 
obtaining  them. 

The  best  quality  retails  at  from  85  cents  to  $1  a 
dozen  for  quarts,  or  about  $8  a  gross.  The  initial 
expense  may,  therefore,  be  somewhat  high,  but  with 
proper  care  they  will  last  a  great  many  years.  The 
annual  breakage  should  be  less  than  3  per  cent  on  the 
average. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  49 

The  breakage  during  the  canning  process  is  usually 
greater  the  first  year  than  thereafter,  as  jars  that  have 
small  cracks  or  are  poorly  tempered,  break  when  they 
first  get  hot.  Those  that  go  through  the  first  season  will 
last  almost  indefinitely  if  properly  taken  care  of. 

The  rubber  ring  is  another  important  item.  The  most 
expensive  kind  are  not  necessarily  the  best.  I  prefer 
black  rings  to  white  ones.  We  get  little  enough  genuine 
rubber  in  any  of  them,  and  the  white  rings  have  usually 
been  more  thoroughly  bleached  out  or  have  had  more 
cheap  material  worked  into  them.  A  good  ring  will  not 
come  to  pieces  or  lose  its  elasticity  during  the  canning 
process.  It  should  never  be  used  but  once. 

In  selecting  a  jar,  always  give  preference  to  those 
having  wide  mouths.  In  canning  whole  fruit  or  vege- 
tables and  in  cleaning  out  the  jar  the  wide  mouth  will  be 
found  decidedly  preferable.  When  buying  examine 
every  jar,  take  off  the  top  and  run  your  finger  around 
the  under  edge;  if  it  has  the  smallest  crack  or  broken 
place,  reject  it.  In  canning  you  might  as  well  leave  off 
the  top  entirely  as  to  have  an  opening  in  it  even  as  small 
as  a  pin  point. 


CONTAINER  FOR  STERILIZING 

In  all  methods  of  canning,  some  form  of  sterilizer 
must  be  used.  To  be  able  to  do  with  the  things  she 
already  has  on  hand  is  an  important  item  to  the  house- 
wife. Almost  every  one  has  a  tin  clothes  boiler,  and 
this  can  easily  be  converted  into  a  convenient  sterilizing 


50  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

vat.  The  only  things  necessary  are  a  tight-fitting  cover 
and  a  false  bottom,  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  7.  A  false  bottom 
is  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  prevent  the  jars  from 
coming  in  contact  with  the  bottom  of  the  sterilizing  vat, 
causing  them  to  break  during  the  boiling.  For  this  pur- 
pose I  use  an  ordinary  No.  16  wire  netting  of  one-half 


Fig.  7 — A  tin  wash  boiler  with  a  false  bottom  made  of  wire  netting,  used 
as  a  convenient  sterilizer  in  canning. 


inch  mesh,  which  is  cut  to  fit  the  bottom  of  the  boiler. 
If  the  netting  can  not  be  had,  thin  pieces  of  wood  tacked 
together,  or  almost  anything  of  this  kind,  will  answer  the 
purpose.  If  a  clothes  boiler  is  not  available,  a  deep 
saucepan  or  a  bucket  with  a  tight  fitting  cover  will 
answer  equally  as  well.  I  have  found  that  rubbing  the 
inside  of  the  boiler  with  a  cloth  and  a  little  cooking  oil 
will  prevent  rusting  in  a  great  measure. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  51 


HOME  CANNING  OUTFITS 

During  the  last  few  years,  since  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  has  taken  up  such  extensive  work  on  home 
canning,  a  great  many  kinds  of  small  outfits,  suitable 
for  use  on  the  farm,  have  been  developed.  These  can  be 
bought  at  prices  ranging  from  $6  to  $20.  If  tin  cans 
are  to  be  used,  or  if  much  canning  is  to  be  done  for 
market,  one  of  these  small  outfits  is  essential,  but  I  have 
never  felt  the  need  of  them  in  canning  for  home  use. 
The  old  clothes  boiler  that  has  gotten  a  little  rusty,  with 
a  chicken  wire  false  bottom,  is  good  enough  for  me. 
However,  if  any  housewife  is  interested  in  buying  one 
of  these  outfits,  she  can  obtain  the  names  and  addresses 
of  the  principal  manufacturers  by  addressing  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

SELECTION   AND   PREPARATION   OF 
VEGETABLES 

To  be  successful  in  canning  one  must  use  care  and 
thought  in  every  detail.  Vegetables  are  better  if  gath- 
ered early  in  the  morning  while  the  dew  is  still  on  them. 
If  it  is  impossible  to  can  them  immediately,  do  not  allow 
them  to  wither,  but  put  them  in  cold  water  or  in  a  cold, 
damp  place  where  they  will  keep  crisp  until  you  are 
ready  to  use  them.  Never  attempt  to  can  any  vegetable 
that  has  matured  and  commenced  to  harden,  or  one  that 
has  begun  to  decay.  As  a  general  rule,  young  vege- 


52  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

tables  are  superior  in  flavor  and  texture  to  the  more 
mature  ones.  This  is  especially  marked  in  such  vege- 
tables as  string  beans,  okra,  asparagus  and  corn.  Experi- 
ence will  soon  teach  you  at  what  stage  your  vegetables 
should  be  gathered  for  canning. 

In  the  following  pages  are  given  directions  for  can- 
ning some  of  the  more  common  vegetables,  but  the  house- 
wife can  add  to  them  at  will.  The  principles  of 
sterilization  are  the  same  for  all  meats,  fruits  and  vege- 
tables. These  directions  apply  to  quart  jars. 


ENGLISH  PEAS 

When  prepared  and  canned  in  the  proper  way,  peas 
are  easily  kept  and  never  lose  the  delicate  flavor  they 
possess  when  fresh.  Shell  the  peas,  wash  and  pack  them 
in  the  jars  and  add  salt  to  taste,  a  light  teaspoonful  to 
each  quart  is  sufficient.  Fill  up  the  jars  with  cold  water, 
put  the  rubber  rings  on  the  necks  of  the  jars,  and  place 
the  glass  tops  on  loosely,  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  8.  Be  care- 
ful not  to  press  down  the  springs  at  the  side  of  the  jars. 
Place  the  wire  false  bottom  in  the  boiler  and  put  in  as 
many  jars  as  it  will  conveniently  hold.  Pour  in  about 
three  inches  of  cold  water,  or  just  enough  to  form  steam 
and  to  prevent  the  boiler  going  dry  during  the  boiling. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  have  the  water  up  to  the  neck  of 
the  jars,  as  the  steam  will  do  the  cooking.  Put  the  cover 
on  the  boiler  and  set  it  on  the  stove.  Bring  the  water  to 
a  boil  and  keep  it  boiling  for  one  hour  and  a  half.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  remove  the  cover  from  the  boiler  and 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


53 


allow  the  steam  to  escape.  Press  down  the  springs  at 
the  side  of  the  jars,  which  clamp  on  the  tops,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  9.  This  will  prevent  any  outside  air  from  get- 
ting in.  The  jars  can  now  be  removed  from  the  boiler 
and  allowed  to  stand  until  the  next  day.  In  removing 
the  jars  from  the  boiler  be  careful  not  to  expose  them 
to  a  draft  of  cold  air,  as  the  sudden  change  in  tempera- 


Fig.  8 

ture  is  likely  to  crack  them.  It  is  best  to  stand  them  on 
a  cloth  and  cover  them  over  with  one  until  they  are  cool. 
On  the  second  day  raise  the  springs  at  the  side  of  the 
jars,  place  them  in  the  boiler,  and  boil  again  for  one 
hour,  clamp  on  the  tops  and  remove  from  the  boiler. 
If  properly  done,  the  peas  will  now  keep  indefinitely, 
and  I  defy  anyone  to  tell  the  difference  between  those 
canned  in  this  way  and  the  fresh  article.  After  the 
sterilization  is  complete  the  jars  may  be  set  aside  for  a 


54 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


few  days  and  then  tested.  This  is  done  by  releasing 
the  spring  from  over  the  top  and  picking  up  the  jar  by 
the  top,  as  shown  in  Fig.  10.  If  there  has  been  any 
decomposition,  or  if  the  sterilization  has  not  been  prop- 


Fig.  9 — Position  of  spring  after 
sterilizing. 


Fig.  10 — Manner  of  testing. 


erly  done,  the  top  will  come  off.  During  the  boiling 
process,  the  outside  of  the  jar  is  filled  with  steam;  when 
the  top  is  clamped  on  and  the  jar  cooled,  this  steam  is 
condensed  and  leaves  a  vacuum  inside  the  jar.  Now 
the  weight  of  the  air,  or  atmospheric  pressure,  is  about 
fifteen  pounds  for  every  square  inch,  so,  as  there  are 
about  four  square  inches  of  surface  upon  the  top  of  the 
jar,  there  is  an  inward  pressure  of  nearly  sixty  pounds. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  55 

If  you  have  not  used  a  leaky  rubber,  or  a  defective  jar, 
and  the  top  comes  off  when  you  test  it,  it  means  that 
sterilization  has  not  been  complete — that  probably  a  few 
bacteria  were  left  in  and  these  have  multiplied  and 
formed  enough  gas  to  release  the  pressure  from  the  out- 
side. If  the  top  does  not  come  off,  you  can  be  reason- 
ably sure  that  the  peas  are  going  to  keep,  and  they  can 
be  set  away.  Three  pounds  of  average  sized  peas  will 
shell  out  enough  to  fill  a  quart  jar. 

As  a  general  rule  I  use  the  system  of  fractional  steril- 
ization, or  boiling  upon  two  successive  days,  and  I  always 
advocate  it.  However,  some  housewives  prefer  to  do  all 
of  their  sterilization  at  one  time.  In  this  case  put  the 
jars  into  the  boiler,  as  has  been  described,  and  boil  for 
two  hours  and  three-quarters.  Take  off  the  top  of  the 
boiler,  and  press  down  the  springs  which  clamp  on  the 
tops  of  the  jars.  Don't  let  any  outside  air  into  the  jars 
and  the  sterilization  will  now  be  complete. 

In  counting  the  time  of  boiling,  begin  when  the  water 
begins  to  boil.  If  some  of  the  water  boils  out  of  the  jars 
during  the  process  it  will  make  no  difference.  Never 
open  a  jar  in  order  to  fill  it  up  with  water.  The  space 
inside  the  jar  is  almost  a  vacuum  and  it  is  saturated 
with  moisture,  and  therefore  the  vegetables  can  not  dry 
out.  If  you  are  using  the  screw  top  jars,  begin  with 
the  tops  screwed  on  lightly,  and  boil  for  two  hours  and 
three-quarters,  screw  down  the  tops  and  remove  from  the 
boiler.  If  you  ever  have  any  trouble  with  any  vegetable 
a  safe  rule  is  to  increase  the  time  of  boiling. 

Sterilization  depends  to  a  great  extent  upon  how 
rapidly  the  heat  penetrates  the  jar,  and  the  housewife 


56  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

should  always  bear  this  in  mind  when  canning  the  dif- 
ferent vegetables.  If  a  quart  jar  is  filled  with  cold  water 
and  set  in  a  vat  of  boiling  water,  its  temperature  will 
run  up  very  rapidly,  and  in  about  twenty  minutes  the 
water  inside  the  jar  will  be  about  as  hot  as  the  water 
in  the  vat.  However,  if  the  jar  is  filled  with  a  thick 
substance  like  starch  paste,  for  example,  it  will  take  over 
two  hours  for  the  center  of  the  jar  to  reach  the  tempera- 
ture of  boiling  water.  In  canning  peas,  beans  and  vege- 
tables of  this  kind,  there  is  always  plenty  of  water 
around  the  vegetable,  and  this  can  move  inward  freely 
and  carry  the  heat  with  it.  But  with  such  vegetables  as 
corn,  which  is  apt  to  form  a  rather  thick,  pasty  mass, 
there  are  no  currents  of  water  to  carry  the  heat  inward, 
therefore  the  heat  will  penetrate  the  jar  very  slowly. 
As  it  is  absolutely  necessary  with  most  vegetables  to 
have  the  center  of  the  jar  reach  the  temperature  of  boil- 
ing water  and  be  held  at  that  temperature  for  some  time, 
the  rapidity  of  heat  penetration  must  be  always  kept  in 
mind.  If  your  vegetables  are  thick  and  pasty  when 
packed  in  the  jar,  increase  the  time  of  boiling. 


STRING  BEANS 

Select  young  and  tender  beans,  string  them  and 
break  into  short  lengths.  Put  them  into  a  saucepan  of 
water,  bring  to  a  boil  and  boil  for  a  few  minutes.  This 
will  il blanche"  them,  that  is,  it  will  remove  the  strong 
tasting,  gumming  material  from  the  surface.  Pour  off 
the  water  and  pack  the  beans  into  the  jars,  cover  with 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  57 

fresh  water,  add  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  each  quart  jar. 
Put  on  the  rubber  rings  and  tops  and  boil  for  one  hour 
upon  two  successive  days,  as  has  been  described  under 
English  peas.  A  small  pod  of  red  pepper  placed  in  the 
bottom  of  the  jar  will  add  much  to  the  flavor  of  the 
beans.  String  beans  do  not  take  as  long  to  sterilize  as 
corn.  When  wishing  to  complete  the  sterilization  upon 
one  day,  put  the  jars  into  the  water  as  has  been  described 
for  English  peas,  and  boil  for  two  hours,  remove  the 
cover  of  the  boiler,  clamp  down  the  springs  that  hold 
on  the  tops  and  remove  from  the  boiler. 


CORN 

Contrary  to  the  general  opinion,  corn  is  easily  canned. 
It  only  requires  a  longer  period  of  sterilization  than 
most  other  vegetables.  The  varieties  of  sweet  sugar  corn 
that  are  usually  the  best  to  can,  Stowell's  Evergreen 
and  Country  Gentleman,  contain  about  27  per  cent  of 
sugar,  on  the  basis  of  their  dry  weight.  It  has  been 
recently  shown  that  the  sugar  decreases  very  rapidly 
after  the  ear  has  been  pulled  from  the  stalk.  The  loss 
of  sugar  is  more  marked  when  the  corn  is  pulled  and 
husked  than  it  is  if  the  shuck  is  allowed  to  stay  on  the 
ear.  Therefore,  in  order  to  retain  the  original  sweet- 
ness, it  is  best  to  can  the  corn  very  soon  after  it  has  been 
pulled — within  an  hour  if  possible.  The  same  fact  is 
true  of  the  volatile  compounds  which  give  the  corn  its 
flavor.  This  loss  in  sugar  and  flavor  explains  why  the 
corn  that  is  eaten  in  hotels  and  restaurants  usually  seems 


58  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

of  such  a  poor  quality.  Such  corn  often  has  been  pulled 
from  the  stalk  as  much  as  a  day  or  more. 

Select  the  ears  with  full  grains  before  they  have 
begun  to  harden,  as  this  is  the  period  of  the  greatest 
sugar  content.  Husk  them  and  brush  off  the  silk  with 
a  stiff  brush.  Shear  off  the  grains  with  a  sharp  knife 
and  fill  the  jars,  but  do  not  pack  them.  Add  salt  to 
taste,  usually  about  a  teaspoonful  to  the  quart  is  suffi- 
cient, and  fill  up  the  jars  to  the  top  with  cold  water. 
Corn  will  swell  and  absorb  a  great  deal  of  water  during 
the  sterilization,  so  it  is  well  to  have  enough  in  the 
beginning.  However,  if  all  the  water  disappears  during 
the  boiling,  it  will  make  no  difference  in  the  keeping  of 
the  corn.  Put  on  the  rubber  rings  and  tops  and  steam, 
as  has  been  described  under  English  peas,  for  two  and 
one-half  hours  on  two  successive  days.  When  wishing 
to  sterilize  in  one  day,  boil  for  at  least  five  hours,  then 
clamp  on  the  tops  and  remove  from  the  boiler. 

When  I  am  out  on  the  farm  I  usually  can  the  ordi- 
nary field  corn.  This  can  always  be  obtained  in  such 
abundance,  and  if  canned  when  young  and  tender,  with 
about  a  teaspoonful  of  sugar  added  to  each  pint,  no  one 
can  tell  the  difference  between  it  and  the  sweet  corn. 

Corn  is  often  subject  to  the  attacks  of  anarobic  bac- 
teria, and  some  years  these  will  be  worse  than  others. 
These  bacteria  do  not  require  air  in  which  to  work  and 
do  not  generate  any  gas,  but  form  a  sour  smelling  mass. 
Their  spores  are  sometimes  very  hard  to  kill,  and  in 
my  early  experience  with  canning  corn  I  had  some  diffi- 
culty with  them,  until  I  found  out  what  the  trouble  was. 
At  that  time  I  was  only  heating  the  jars  for  one  hour  at 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  59 

each  period,  and  as  has  been  explained,  the  heat  was 
penetrating  the  jars  very  slowly,  so  I  had  not  given 
sufficient  time  for  the  interior  of  the  jars  to  become 
thoroughly  sterilized.  I  increased  the  time  to  two  and 
one-half  hours  on  two  successive  days  and  had  no  further 
difficulty.  If  ever  you  have  any  difficulty  with  corn, 
increase  the  time  of  boiling. 

If  you  ever  want  a  "show"  can  of  corn,  first  put  the 
ears  in  boiling  water  for  about  ten  minutes  or  until  the 
grains  harden,  now  shear  them  off,  pack  the  corn  in  the 
jar  with  water  and  sterilize.  The  grains  treated  in  this 
way  will  remain  plump  and  the  jar  will  not  have  the 
characteristic  milky  appearance  of  corn  canned  in  the 
usual  way, 

LIMA  BEANS 

While  lima  beans  are  very  easily  kept,  they  should 
be  very  carefully  handled,  as  they  are  one  of  the  most 
delicately  flavored  vegetables  we  have,  and  one  that  loses 
its  flavor  very  rapidly  after  being  picked  and  shelled. 
Lima  beans  will  usually  shell  out  about  one-quarter  of 
their  bulk.  Discard  all  pods  that  have  begun  to  harden 
and  proceed  exactly  as  you  would  with  English  peas. 

BEETS 

While  beets  will  keep  in  the  cellar  over  winter,  it  is 
much  better  to  can  them  while  they  are  young  and 
tender,  as  the  mature  beets  are  apt  to  be  stringy  and 
lacking  in  flavor.  Wash  the  young  beets,  cut  off  the 


60  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

tops  and  boil  them  until  tender.  Take  off  the  skins, 
slice  and  pack  in  the  jars.  Cover  with  water  and  steril- 
ize for  one  hour  upon  one  day  only.  If  a  mild  pickle  is 
desired,  make  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  water  and 
good  vinegar,  sweeten  and  salt  to  taste,  and  cover  the 
beets  with  this  mixture  instead  of  water. 

ASPARAGUS 

Cut  the  asparagus  the  length  of  the  jar  and  pack  as 
many  in  the  jar  as  it  will  hold.  Cover  with  water,  add 
a  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  each  jar,  and  sterilize  as  you 
would  English  peas  upon  two  successive  days.  If  you 
are  anxious  to  make  the  jar  hold  as  much  as  possible, 
open  it  up  after  it  has  been  boiling  about  a  half  hour. 
By  this  time  the  asparagus  has  been  partly  cooked  and 
is  soft,  and  you  can  put  several  more  pieces  in  the  jar. 
Ten  pounds  of  asparagus  will  fill  about  six  quarts. 

OKRA 

The  traveler  through  the  South  is  usually  impressed 
with  the  amount  of  okra  grown.  The  negroes  always 
have  their  sweet  potatoes,  their  collards  and  a  few  rows 
of  "okry."  The  young  pods  are  used  for  soups  and 
stews.  The  people  of  the  North  usually  have  to  culti- 
vate a  taste  for  it,  but  in  the  South  it  is  considered  a 
delicious  vegetable. 

Wash  the  young  pods,  cut  into  short  lengths,  pack 
into  the  jars,  cover  with  cold  water  and  sterilize  as  you 
would  English  peas. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  61 


EGGPLANT 

Pare  the  eggplant,  cut  in  thin  slices,  and  drop  in 
boiling  water  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes.  Drain  off 
the  water  and  pack  the  slices  in  the  jars.  Cover  with 
water  and  sterilize  as  directed  under  English  peas.  The 
slices  of  egg  plant  are  pliable  and  may  be  taken  from  the 
jar  without  being  broken,  and  either  fried  in  bread 
crumbs  or  made  into  pudding  and  baked. 


KOHL-RABI 

This  vegetable  is  very  much  like  a  turnip  except  that 
the  bulb  grows  above  the  ground.  In  flavor,  however,  it 
resembles  the  cauliflower.  It  is  almost  unknown  in  the 
South,  where  it  should  be  extensively  grown.  Gather  it 
when  young  and  tender,  cut  into  small  blocks,  pack  into 
the  jars,  cover  with  water,  add  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  and 
sterilize  as  you  would  English  peas.  Serve  as  you  would 
cauliflower. 


BELL  PEPPERS 

Gather  the  peppers,  either  green  or  ripe,  cut  around 
the  stem  end  and  remove  the  seeds,  put  in  boiling  water 
or  steam  for  a  few  minutes,  or  until  they  are  soft  and 
pliable.  Pack  carefully  into  jars,  but  do  not  add  any 
water,  and  sterilize  for  two  hours  on  one  day  only.  If 
you  have  not  broken  them  in  handling,  these  can  be 


62  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

taken  out  in  the  winter  and  stuffed  with  corn,  rice  and 
tomatoes,  macaroni  and  cheese,  etc.  Bake  these  to  a 
light  brown  and  serve  with  tomato  sauce. 

Pimentoes  may  also  be  canned  in  this  way  for  salad. 


COW  PEAS 

The  ordinary  black-eyed  pea,  or  cow  pea,  that  is 
planted  so  extensively  as  a  forage  crop,  is  also  an  excel- 
lent vegetable.  The  peas  are  best  if  gathered  just  before 
they  are  ripe  and  while  they  are  still  soft.  Shell  the 
peas,  pack  into  the  jars,  add  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  each 
quart  and  sterilize  as  you  would  English  peas.  Use  as 
you  would  lima  beans  or  mix  with  tomatoes,  and  bake. 


CAULIFLOWER 

This  vegetable  usually  keeps  very  well,  but  if  the 
supply  for  the  winter  begins  to  spoil,  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  can  it  during  the  summer.  Prepare  it  as  you 
would  for  the  table,  pack  into  jars  and  sterilize  as  you 
would  English  peas. 

CARROTS  AND  PARSNIPS 

While  these  vegetables  will  keep  all  winter,  they  are 
apt  to  get  a  little  stringy  and  develop  a  strong  taste  that 
is  objectionable  to  most  people.  This  can  be  overcome 
by  canning  them  while  young  and  tender.  Prepare  them 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  63 

as  you  would  for  the  table,  pack  into  jars,  cover  with 
water,  and  sterilize  for  one  and  a  half  hours  for  one  day 
only.  Few  housewives  know  how  much  cooked  tender 
young  carrots  add  to  a  salad. 


SUCCOTASH 

Mix  green  corn  and  tender  lima  beans  in  about  equal 
proportions,  cover  with  water,  add  a  teaspoonful  of  salt 
to  each  quart  and  sterilize  in  the  same  way  as  you  would 
corn. 

PUMPKIN  AND  WINTER  SQUASH 

There  is  no  need  of  any  hurry  in  canning  pumpkin. 
If  gathered  at  the  approach  of  frost  and  brought  indoors, 
nearly  all  the  varieties  will  keep  a  few  months  at  least. 
I  usually  wait  until  some  time  in  December,  or  until  the 
pumpkins  show  signs  of  decay,  to  do  my  canning.  By 
this  time  many  jars  that  had  been  full  of  other  vege- 
tables have  been  emptied.  These  are  now  refilled  with 
pumpkin  and  the  jars  thus  made  to  do  double  duty. 
Some  varieties  have  very  hard  skins  and  are  difficult  to 
peel  in  the  ordinary  way.  First  place  the  whole  pump- 
kins in  the  wash  boiler  and  boil  until  the  skins  are  soft, 
take  them  out  and  the  skins  will  peel  off  easily.  Cut 
them  open,  remove  the  seeds,  cut  them  up  in  small  pieces, 
put  into  a  large  preserving  kettle  and  cook  with  a  little 
water  until  soft.  Put  through  a  sieve  or  potato  masher 
to  remove  the  stringy  portions,  sweeten  and  season,  as 


64  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

you  would  if  preparing  for  pies,  pack  into  the  jars  while 
still  hot  and  sterilize  as  you  would  corn. 

When  making  pies,  first  prepare  the  crust,  put  in  the 
tins  and  bake  a  light  brown.  Empty  a  jar  of  pumpkin 
into  a  mixing  bowl,  beat  it  up  with  the  yolks  of  eggs  and 
milk  and  butter,  turn  it  into  the  crust  and  bake  until  set. 
Now  add  the  meringue  and  again  bake  a  light  brown. 

Another  attractive  way  of  using  the  canned  pumpkin 
is  to  prepare  it  as  for  pies  and  turn  into  a  shallow  but- 
tered baking  dish,  without  crust.  Bake  until  set  and  add 
the  meringue  as  usual.  Serve  with  cream  and  grape 
jelly. 

TOMATOES 

Tomatoes  are  very  easily  canned,  and  almost  every 
housewife  has  canned  them  with  more  or  less  success. 
This  is  because  the  acid  of  the  tomato  prevents  the 
growth  of  the  troublesome  bacteria.  The  spoilage  is  due 
largely  to  molds  which  are  easily  killed. 

Tomatoes  may  probably  be  used  in  a  greater  number 
of  ways  than  any  other  vegetable,  and  there  are  as  many 
ways  of  canning  them  as  there  are  of  using  them.  The 
wash  boiler  is  not  altogether  necessary,  although  I  nearly 
always  use  it. 

The  simplest  way  of  canning  tomatoes  is  to  dip  them 
in  boiling  water  for  about  a  minute,  remove  the  skins, 
cut  them  up,  and  put  them  into  an  open  preserving  ket- 
tle, and  add  salt  at  the  rate  of  a  teaspoonful  for  each 
quart.  Bring  to  a  boil,  stirring  frequently  to  prevent 
scorching,  and  boil  for  about  thirty  minutes,  or  until  the 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  65 

tomatoes  are  thoroughly  done.  If  you  are  using  the 
screw  top  jars,  first  put  on  the  rubber  rings  and  immerse 
the  jars  for  a  minute  in  boiling  water,  fill  them  with  hot 
tomatoes;  have  the  tops  in  boiling  water,  remove  them 
as  needed,  being  careful  not  to  touch  the  inside  of  the 
tops  with  the  fingers,  and  screw  the  tops  on  tightly. 
Invert  the  jars  and  let  them  stand  in  that  position  until 
cold.  Some  housewives  have  a  habit  of  tightening  up  the 
tops  after  they  have  gotten  cold.  This  is  a  bad  practice, 
and  is  apt  to  do  more  harm  than  good,  for  if  there  has 
been  a  leak  and  the  germs  have  already  gotten  in  the  jar, 
it  is  certainly  too  late  to  remedy  matters,  and  tampering 
with  the  top  will  have  more  of  a  tendency  to  loosen  up 
the  seal  and  let  in  more  air  than  otherwise.  By  invert- 
ing the  jars  the  hot  tomatoes  are  brought  in  contact  with 
the  tops  and  this  destroys  any  germs  that  may  have  been 
left  there.  Never  put  anything,  such  as  a  spoon  or  a 
fork,  inside  the  jars  during  the  canning,  unless  you  first 
dip  it  in  boiling  water. 

In  using  the  wash  boiler,  prepare  the  tomatoes,  take 
off  the  skins,  and  pack  them  as  nearly  whole  as  possible 
into  the  jars,  add  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  each  quart. 
Put  on  the  rubber,  and  screw  on  the  tops  loosely,  set  in 
the  boiler  and  boil  for  one  hour.  Screw  down  the  tops 
and  remove  from  the  boiler. 

If  whole  tomatoes  are  desired  for  baking  and  bread- 
ing, proceed  as  follows:  Remove  the  skins  and  cut  up 
some  tomatoes,  put  in  a  preserving  kettle,  and  boil  for 
twenty  minutes.  Remove  them  from  the  stove,  and  run 
through  a  strainer,  and  return  the  strained  liquid  to  the 
fire.  Now  select  ripe  tomatoes  that  are  small  enough  to 


66  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

go  into  the  mouth  of  a  jar,  dip  them  in  boiling  water, 
remove  the  skins,  and  drop  them  whole  into  the  jars 
until  full.  Add  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  each  quart,  and 
pour  in  the  strained  liquid,  boiling  hot,  over  the  tomatoes 
until  the  jars  are  full.  Put  on  the  rubber  rings  and  tops 
and  place  the  jars  in  the  wash  boiler.  Have  the  water 
in  the  boiler  already  hot  to  prevent  the  jars  from  break- 
ing. Bring  to  a  boil  and  boil  for  twenty  minutes.  Clamp 
on  the  tops  tightly  and  remove  from  the  boiler.  The 
strained  juice  may  be  used  for  soup.  One  bushel  of 
good  tomatoes  will  can  about  eighteen  quarts. 


SOUPS 

It  has  been  my  custom  for  a  good  many  years  to  can 
from  one  to  two  hundred  quarts  of  vegetables  and  mix- 
tures of  vegetables  for  soups.  Tomatoes,  of  course,  form 
the  basis  of  most  of  these  mixtures.  In  the  winter  these 
soups  are  a  palatable  and  nutritious  addition  to  our  bill 
of  fare.  The  vegetables  are  prepared,  mixed  in  the 
desired  proportions,  seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper  and 
canned  in  the  regular  way.  Although  corn  occurs  in 
many  of  these  mixtures,  the  acid  of  the  tomatoes  assists 
in  sterilizing  it,  therefore  it  does  not  require  so  long  to 
sterilize  as  does  corn  alone.  One  can  be  perfectly  safe 
in  giving  these  mixtures  the  same  time  in  boiling  as 
English  peas,  that  is,  one  hour  and  thirty  minutes  each 
upon  two  successive  days,  or  two  and  three-quarters 
hours  upon  one  day.  The  mixtures  that  I  usually  can 
are:  Tomatoes  and  corn;  tomatoes  and  okra;  tomatoes 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  67 

and  cow  peas  mixed  half  and  half,  or  tomatoes,  corn  and 
okra,  mixed  in  equal  proportions.  Sweet  peppers  may 
be  added  to  either  of  these  if  desired.  A  mixture  of  all 
vegetables  that  usually  occur  in  vegetable  soup,  toma- 
toes, corn,  carrots,  onions,  beans,  okra,  etc.,  may  also  be 
canned  together  and  used  as  a  soup  stock.  As  these 
vegetables  are  seasoned  and  cooked,  in  order  to  make 
good  soup,  it  is  only  necessary  to  add  water  and  a  little 
butter  and  heat  to  boiling.  "When  turned  into  a  sauce- 
pan and  heated  with  a  little  butter,  these  mixtures  make 
excellent  stews.  Tomatoes  may  also  be  cooked  alone  in 
an  open  kettle  until  a  great  part  of  the  water  has  been 
boiled  off,  then  put  through  a  sieve  to  remove  the  seeds, 
and  canned  for  soup.  Green  black-eyed  peas,  canned  in 
this  way,  are  also  excellent. 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  HOME  CANNING 

The  possibilities  of  home  canning  are  almost  unlim- 
ited. "Everything  that  is  served  cooked"  hardly 
expresses  it.  There  is  no  excuse  for  hard  living;  if  it  is 
possible  for  anyone  to  live  well,  it  should  be  the  person 
upon  the  farm. 

Plant  with  the  expectation  of  canning,  and  can  every- 
thing that  otherwise  would  go  to  waste.  This  will  remove 
much  of  the  hard  living  and  keep  many  a  boy  upon  the 
farm.  The  canning  of  Irish  potatoes  is  even  practical. 
In  the  South  they  bear  abundantly,  but  do  not  keep  well. 
Prepare  them  as  you  would  for  the  table,  can  the  small 
ones  whole,  and  cut  the  larger  ones  in  quarters,  and  can 


68  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

them.  One  sterilization  of  two  hours  is  sufficient  to  keep 
them.  I  take  up  my  spring  onions  while  still  tender,  peel 
off  the  outer  skins,  boil  a  few  minutes  to  soften  them 
slightly,  so  that  a  great  many  more  will  go  into  the  jar, 
then  pack  the  jars  full,  cover  with  water  and  sterilize  for 
one  hour  on  one  day.  In  the  winter  they  can  be  taken 
out,  heated  and  served  with  a  cream  dressing,  scalloped 
or  dipped  in  bread  crumbs  and  fried  whole. 

Turnips  may  be  canned  when  they  are  plentiful,  also 
spinach  and  mustard  greens.  These  are  easily  sterilized, 
requiring  about  two  hours  on  one  day. 

When  salsify  has  reached  maturity  it  is  well  to  take 
it  all  up  at  one  time,  prepare  it,  cut  into  short  lengths 
and  sterilize  it  as  you  would  carrots.  The  work  of  pre- 
paring is  all  done  at  once  and  the  vegetables  can  be  had 
for  use  the  year  round. 

Any  one  who  has  to  buy  their  vegetables  will  find  it 
convenient  to  can  them  even  for  summer  use.  There  are 
always  times  when  the  market  is  overloaded  and  certain 
vegetables  are  cheap.  Buy  then  in  large  quantities,  and 
get  the  benefit  of  both  quality  and  price ;  can  your  sum- 
mer supply  at  one  time,  and  your  vegetables  will  be 
cooked  and  ready  to  serve  when  needed. 

Take  care  of  your  jars,  and  add  as  many  as  you  can 
to  your  supply  each  year,  and  you  will  soon  have  all  you 
need.  Rightly  considered,  there  is  no  extra  work  in 
canning.  The  vegetables  have  to  be  prepared  and 
cooked  anyway,  and  in  canning  you  are  doing  your  cook- 
ing in  the  summer  instead  of  the  winter,  and  in  jars 
instead  of  in  pots.  By  canning  in  large  bulk  you  are 
actually  saving  fuel,  for  it  takes  almost  as  much  heat 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  69 

to  cook  one  quart  of  beans  as  it  does  to  cook  a  dozen. 
You  can  prepare  the  vegetables  for  twelve  dinners  at 
once  in  much,  less  time  than  you  can  prepare  them  for 
twelve  dinners  separately. 

A  housewife  with  plenty  of  ''canned  stuff"  will  never 
be  taken  unawares  by  company.  She  will  have  an  * '  emer- 
gency shelf"  that  is  not  easily  exhausted.  She  will  have 
soup,  salad,  vegetables  and  dessert  already  cooked,  and 
can  make  a  ' '  company ' '  dinner  inside  of  twenty  minutes. 


CANNING   FOR   MARKET 

There  is  a  great  opportunity  for  the  housewife  on 
the  farm  to  can  fancy  vegetables  and  fruits  for  market. 
I  could  dispose  of  all  I  could  can  and  more  at  good  prices. 
During  the  last  few  years,  as  a  result  of  the  pure  food 
agitation,  people  are  demanding  a  better  quality  of 
canned  goods,  and  are  willing  to  pay  for  them.  People 
of  means,  the  best  hotels  and  restaurants,  or  the  social 
clubs  of  the  cities,  are  always  on  the  lookout  for  fancy 
canned  goods.  If  you  can  prepare  any  vegetable,  fruit, 
preserve,  ketchup  or  sauce,  better  than  the  average,  you 
will  have  no  difficulty  in  selling  it.  Many  housewives 
who  live  in  the  city,  and  leave  home  during  the  summer, 
would  gladly  give  an  order  in  advance  for  a  supply  of 
home  canned  vegetables  to  last  during  the  winter.  It 
has  been  my  experience  that  such  people  want  nicely 
canned  corn,  lima  beans  and  peas  especially. 

After  you  have  had  a  little  experience  in  home  can- 
ning you  will  find  out  wherein  you  excel,  then  I  advise 


70  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

you  to  specialize  along  that  particular  line,  and  work  up 
a  reputation  and  market  for  that  product.  Some  house- 
wives excel  in  making  ketchup,  while  others  have  better 
success  with  pickles.  Take  up  something  a  little  out  of 
the  ordinary,  chili  sauce  or  watermelon  rind  preserves, 
for  example,  and  make  that  a  specialty.  You  will  not 
have  to  compete  with  the  ordinary  canned  goods,  for 
your  products  will  be  better  than  these.  You  never  saw 
"  fancy "  goods  upon  the  bargain  counter  in  all  your  life. 
I  have  a  friend,  Miss  Elizabeth  Emory,  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  who  has  been  canning  a  mixture  of  okra  and 
tomatoes  for  market  for  several  years.  She  cans  this  in 
glass  for  soups  and  stews.  She  began  in  a  small  way, 
but  now  her  sales  average  between  five  and  six  thousand 
jars  a  year.  A  lady  in  Richmond,  Va.,  has  made  a 
national  reputation  with  her  ' '  Pin  Money  Pickles. ' '  She, 
too,  began  in  a  small  way,  but  now  her  products  are  so 
well  known  and  so  popular  that  they  can  be  found  almost 
everywhere  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States.  I 
could  name  many  other  instances  where  women  have  spe- 
cialized and  made  a  success  of  canning  for  market. 
Whether  it  deserves  it  or  not,  there  is  still  a  charm  about 
the  word,  "homemade,"  that  gives  it  a  preference  over 
factory  canned  goods.  I  find  the  greatest  objection  to 
home  canned  articles  is  that  they  are  not  usually  put  up 
in  an  attractive  way.  When  one  sees  the  home  canned 
goods  that  are  often  put  upon  the  market  it  is  no  wonder 
that  they  do  not  sell.  Attractiveness  is  one  of  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  trade.  I  remember  that  Miss  Emory 
once  came  to  me  and  was  worried  because  the  wires 
across  the  tops  of  her  jars  became  a  little  tarnished  dur- 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  71 

ing  the  sterilization.  It  is  no  wonder  that  she  is  succeed- 
ing when  she  is  so  careful  of  little  details.  Her 
customers  know  that  she  will  exercise  just  as  much  care 
in  what  she  puts  into  the  jar.  Have  your  canned  goods 
put  up  just  as  attractively  as  possible. 

There  is  quite  a  talent  in  knowing  how  to  approach 
people.  Dress  neatly  and  go  to  see  as  many  as  possible, 
carrying  samples  of  your  products  with  you.  You  must 
know  that  you  have  a  better  product  than  the  ordinary 
and  do  not  lack  confidence  in  yourself  to  find  a  market 
for  it.  The  housewife  upon  the  farm  has  the  advantage 
inasmuch  as  her  vegetables  do  not  cost  her  anything,  so 
her  sales  will  largely  be  a  profit.  As  a  source  of  income 
for  her,  there  are  few  opportunities  that  offer  so  much 
as  canning  vegetables  for  market. 


COLOR  AND  FLAVOR 

Vegetables,  when  properly  canned,  should  retain 
their  attractive  color  and  lose  very  little  of  their  flavor. 
I  find  it  almost  impossible  to  detect  any  difference,  either 
in  taste  or  in  appearance,  between  the  canned  and  fresh 
article,  when  these  directions  are  carefully  followed.  In 
the  canning  process  of  the  commercial  canning  factories 
it  is  customary  to  put  many  of  the  vegetables  under 
pressure  and  to  raise  the  temperature  considerably  above 
boiling  point  of  water.  Corn  is  heated  up  to  240  degrees 
Fahrenheit.  During  the  last  few  years  a  great  deal  of 
investigational  work  has  been  done  upon  the  compounds 
known  as  vitamines.  These  vitamines  seem  to  be  definite 


72  ECONOMY   IN   THE  KITCHEN 

chemical  compounds  that  exist,  sometimes  in  exceedingly 
small  amounts,  in  many  fruits  and  vegetables,  as  well  as 
other  foodstuffs.  It  has  been  definitely  shown  that  these 
compounds  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  keeping  the 
body  in  health.  The  high  heat  employed  in  commercial 
canning  has  a  decided  tendency  to  destroy  these 
vitamines.  Therefore,  when  vegetables  are  properly 
canned  at  home,  they  are  not  only  more  palatable  but 
more  nutritious. 


STORING   CANNED   VEGETABLES 

Any  room  or  dry  cellar  will  be  found  suitable  for 
storing  canned  vegetables.  They  should  always  be  kept 
out  of  direct  sunlight.  The  principal  objection  to  a 
damp  cellar  would  be  the  rusting  of  the  wire  springs  on 
the  tops  of  the  jars.  As  the  interior  of  the  jar  is  almost 
a  vacuum,  even  if  the  jars  freeze  during  the  winter,  there 
is  little  danger  of  their  breaking.  Have  plenty  of  shelf 
room  and  some  to  spare.  The  spare  shelves  will  be 
found  convenient  for  storing  the  jars  as  fast  as  they  are 
emptied. 

HOW  TO   OPEN  A   JAR 

Jars  of  vegetables  are  sometimes  hard  to  open  unless 
it  is  done  in  just  the  right  way.  If  using  a  spring  top, 
run  a  thin  knife  under  the  rubber  next  to  the  jar,  and 
press  against  it  firmly.  This  will  usually  let  in  enough 
air  to  release  the  pressure  on  the  top.  In  case  it  does 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  73 

not,  place  the  jar  in  a  deep  saucepan  of  cold  water,  bring 
to  a  boil  and  keep  boiling  for  a  few  minutes.  The  jar 
will  then  open  easily. 

With  the  screw  top  jars  run  the  knife  blade  under 
the  rubber  and  loosen  it  from  the  jar,  or  stand  the  jar 
upside  down  in  a  saucepan  of  hot  water  for  a  few  min- 
utes. It  can  usually  then  be  easily  unscrewed.  It  is 
sometimes  necessary  to  pull  out  a  piece  of  the  rubber  in 
order  to  let  in  some  air. 


CAUTIONS 

If  the  housewife  has  never  had  any  experience  in 
canning,  I  would  advise  her  to  go  slow  during  the  early 
part  of  the  season,  and  can  only  a  few  things  at  a  time 
and  see  if  they  keep.  Allow  plenty  of  time  during  the 
boiling  for  the  interior  of  the  jar  to  become  thoroughly 
hot,  and  above  all  use  common  sense. 

I  recently  had  a  letter  from  a  discouraged  housewife, 
saying  that  she  had  just  canned  a  great  many  vegetables 
according  to  my  directions  and  had  lost  every  jar.  For- 
tunately at  the  end  of  her  complaint  she  told  me  that  she 
had  made  an  improvement  upon  my  directions — she  had 
left  off  the  tops  of  her  jars  until  they  had  gotten  cold 
and  then  she  had  sealed  them  up.  This  prevented  the 
tops  from  breaking,  she  said.  Now,  this  woman  was 
doing  exactly  what  I  had  told  her  not  to  do,  and  her 
letter  is  a  fair  sample  of  a  great  many  that  I  have 
received.  She  was  trying  to  follow  directions  without 
thinking  of  the  ' '  reasons  why. ' '  She  sterilized  her  vege- 


74  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

tables  thoroughly  and  then  allowed  a  fresh  crop  of  bac- 
teria to  get  in  and  begin  work.  She  will  probably  use 
preserving  powders  next  time  and  say  that  she  knows 
from  experience  that  it  is  impossible  to  keep  vegetables 
without  them.  Don't  repeat  her  experience. 

I  have  never  lost  a  jar  of  string  beans,  lima  beans, 
okra,  egg  plant,  carrots,  parsnips,  beets  or  asparagus.  I 
had  a  few  jars  of  peas  and  corn  to  spoil  during  early 
trials  and  it  was  from  these  failures  that  I  got  valuable 
experience.  Any  housewife  can  do  equally  as  well.  Fol- 
low directions  until  you  get  your  experience  and  you 
will  have  no  difficulty  whatever.  It  is  not  a  difficult 
matter  to  can  vegetables  properly  and  no  housewife  who 
once  knows  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  a  winter 
supply  will  ever  regret  the  trouble  or  difficulties  experi- 
enced in  learning. 


CANNING   FRUITS 

While  not  so  essential  as  vegetables,  fruit  and  fruit 
juices  have  a  definite  place  in  the  diet.  Owing  to  the 
fact  that  most  of  the  common  fruits  contain  so  much 
water,  their  real  food  value  is  rather  low.  However, 
they  have  a  value  that  is  all  their  own.  They  aid  diges- 
tion and  serve  in  many  ways  to  keep  the  body  in  good 
condition.  They  add  acid  and  flavor,  and  furnish  an 
agreeable  variety  so  necessary  to  a  good  meal. 

Since  the  advent  of  the  modern  cold  storage  plants 
the  housewife  in  the  city  can  go  to  market  and  buy  fresh 
fruit  every  day  in  the  year,  but  it  is  not  so  with  the 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  75 

housewife  on  the  farm,  even  if  she  could  afford  it.  In 
the  winter  her  family  is  probably  more  in  need  of  fruit 
than  that  of  her  sister  in  the  city,  for  their  diet  is  more 
apt  to  be  restricted.  Nature  is  so  generous  in  her  supply 
of  wild  fruits  and  there  is  usually  such  an  abundance  of 
the  cultivated  varieties  upon  the  farm  that  quantities 
of  them  go  to  waste  annually,  yet  the  average  family  has 
very  little  in  the  way  of  fruit  during  the  winter.  They 
are  so  easily  canned  that  there  is  certainly  no  need  for 
this  condition  of  affairs.  Every  housewife  has  canned 
some  fruits  successfully,  yet  few  realize  the  economy  of 
storing  up  and  canning  in  time  of  plenty  for  the  season 
when  everything  of  this  kind  is  scarce. 

It  is  not  the  object  of  this  chapter  to  teach  the  house- 
wife the  art  of  canning  fruit,  for  she  already  knows  how, 
but  rather  to  encourage  her  to  do  more  of  it.  No  long 
list  of  recipes  will  be  given,  but  a  few  which  either  have 
some  fundamental  principle  involved  or  represent  the 
most  economical  way  of  disposing  of  or  saving  that  which 
would  otherwise  go  to  waste.  The  canning  of  fruits  will 
be  considered,  not  as  a  preparation  of  luxuries,  but  more 
as  a  standard  article  of  diet.  As  there  is  still  a  demand 
in  most  households  for  some  preserves,  a  few  recipes  will 
be  given. 

The  principle  involved  in  canning  fruit  is  exactly 
the  same  as  in  canning  vegetables,  the  principle  of  com- 
plete sterilization.  Whether  the  fruit  is  sterilized  by 
means  of  heat,  as  in  ordinary  canning,  or  by  alcohol,  as 
in  brandied  peaches,  or  by  sugar,  as  in  preserves,  the  end 
accomplished  is  the  same  in  every  case — the  destruction 
of  yeasts,  molds  or  bacteria. 


76  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

Most  fruits  are  better  flavored  when  canned  with 
sugar,  but,  contrary  to  a  widespread  opinion,  sugar  is  not 
necessary  in  the  canning — fruits  will  keep  just  as  well 
without  it  as  with  it.  However,  for  several  reasons  it  is 
advisable  to  can  all  fruits  without  sugar  and  to  sweeten 
them  when  used.  In  this  way  one  can  use  the  fruit  in 
any  way  they  may  wish  during  the  winter;  it  may  be 
opened  and  used  as  stewed  fruit,  or  made  into  jams,  pre- 
serves or  sweet  pickles.  Sugar,  too,  is  usually  higher  in 
price  during  the  canning  season  than  at  any  other  time 
of  the  year. 

The  old-time  preserves  that  used  to  grace  every  pan- 
try shelf  are  almost  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  the  sweet 
canned  fruits  have  taken  their  place.  The  two  reasons 
for  the  disappearance  of  the  preserves  are  that  they  take 
up  too  much  time  and  too  much  sugar.  Canning  is  one 
process  and  preserving  is  another,  and  while  in  both 
eases  sterilization  is  necessary,  in  canning  we  rely  en- 
tirely upon  heat,  while  in  preserving  largely  upon  sugar 
to  do  the  sterilization.  If  you  have  plenty  of  fruit  it  is 
best  to  can  nearly  all  of  it,  and  to  preserve  only  a  little, 
for  preserves  can  hardly  be  considered  a  standard  article 
of  diet. 

The  housewife  does  not  need  an  elaborate  assortment 
of  utensils  in  canning  fruit.  She  can  do  well  enough 
with  the  things  she  already  has  on  hand.  Plenty  of  jars, 
a  preserving  kettle,  and  the  old  wash  boiler  are  all  that 
is  necessary.  It  has  been  my  experience  that  many 
housewives  often  let  their  fruit  go  to  waste  because  they 
think  they  can  not  afford  to  buy  the  jars  to  put  it  in. 
This  is  poor  economy,  as  a  fruit  jar  is  more  or  less  a  per- 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  77 

manent  asset,  and  should  be  considered  as  an  investment 
and  the  initial  expense  charged  up  to  future  years. 
Every  housewife  with  a  family  should  have  at  least  one 
thousand  jars  for  home  use.  They  can  be  easily  filled 
up  with  the  things  that  ordinarily  go  to  waste,  and  will 
pay  good  interest  upon  the  investment. 


APPLES 

Probably  no  cultivated  fruit  is  allowed  to  go  to  waste 
in  amounts  equal  to  the  apple.  Throughout  the  South 
the  summer  varieties  bear  in  .great  abundance,  but  will 
keep  only  a  few  weeks  after  ripening.  These  summer 
apples  are  the  most  suitable  for  cooking  and,  when 
canned,  will  largely  take  the  place  of  the  winter  or 
keeping  varieties.  There  is  an  almost  endless  number  of 
ways  in  which  apples  may  be  canned  or  used  after  they 
have  been  canned,  but  only  a  few  suggestions  will  be 
given  which  may  be  enlarged  upon  by  any  ingenious 
housewife. 

SLICED    APPLES    WITHOUT    SUGAR 

As  summer  apples  are  apt  to  cook  to  pieces  easily, 
select  those  that  are  a  little  under  ripe,  peel,  remove 
core,  cut  into  small  sections  or  slices  and  drop  into  a 
pan  of  cold  water,  to  which  a  little  salt  has  been  added — 
about  one-half  teacupful  to  the  gallon.  The  salt  will 
prevent  them  from  darkening  and  will  keep  them  white 
and  fresh  looking  ia  the  jar.  Pack  the  slices  into  the 


78  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

jars  without  rinsing  off  the  salt.  Put  the  rubber  rings 
in  place,  put  on  the  tops  loosely,  place  the  jars  in  the 
clothes  boiler  upon  the  false  bottom,  and  bring  to  a  boil, 
and  boil  for  twenty-five  minutes.  Clamp  on  the  tops 
and  remove  from  the  boiler.  These  may  be  used  with 
cream  and  sugar  or  for  sliced  apple  pie,  apple  dumplings, 
brown  Betty,  and  in  a  variety  of  other  ways.  The  sour 
or  acid  varieties  may  be  sliced  with  the  skins  on  them 
and  canned  in  this  way  for  frying. 


STEWED  APPLES  WITHOUT  SUGAR 

Peel,  remove  core,  cut  into  small  sections  and  drop 
into  a  pan  of  slightly  salted  water.  In  a  few  minutes 
transfer  to  a  large  saucepan  or  open  kettle,  add  a  little 
water  and  cook  to  the  consistency  of  apple  sauce.  When 
thoroughly  done,  remove  from  the  stove,  and  put  through 
a  potato  masher  or  strainer,  fill  up  the  jars  with  the  hot 
apples,  having  first  put  on  the  rubber  rings.  Put  on  the 
tops  loosely.  Have  the  water  in  the  clothes  boiler  already 
hot  to  prevent  the  jars  from  breaking.  Put  the  jars  into 
the  boiler  and  sterilize  for  thirty  minutes.  Clamp  on 
the  tops  and  remove  from  boiler.  In  being  prepared  in 
this  way  apples  should  be  heated  up  very  slowly  when 
put  into  the  wash  boiler,  as  they  are  apt  to  stew  out  of 
the  jars  during  the  boiling.  They  can  be  sweetened  and 
used  for  apple  sauce,  apple  float,  apple  pie  or  any  way 
desired. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  79 


PEACHES 

There  are  more  peaches  canned  commercially  than 
any  other  fruit,  and  while  freestone  varieties  are  used 
almost  exclusively  in  commercial  packing,  some  of  the 
clings  are  equally  as  good  for  home  use.  There  is  no 
finer  peach  for  canning  or  preserving  than  the  White 
Heath.  The  fruit  should  not  be  allowed  to  get  too  ripe, 
but  should  be  picked  when  just  beginning  to  turn  soft. 
With  the  freestone  varieties,  peel,  cut  into  halves  and 
remove  the  seed.  Pack  the  halves  into  the  jars,  cover 
with  water,  place  in  the  boiler  and  sterilize  for  forty-five 
minutes.  With  the  cling  varieties,  prepare  by  first  rub- 
bing the  fruit  off  with  a  damp  cloth,  then  run  a  paring 
knife  around  it  and  wring  one-half  from  the  seed.  This 
is  an  accomplishment  that  requires  a  little  practice  to 
become  proficient  in.  Cut  out  the  seed  from  the  other 
half,  peel,  pack  into  jars,  cover  with  water  and  sterilize 
as  before  directed.  Canned  peaches  are  often  much 
improved  by  putting  one  or  two  kernels  in  each  jar. 

CHERRIES 

Either  seed  the  fruit  or  not,  according  to  preference. 
Pick  over  the  fruit,  wash,  pack  into  the  jars,  cover  with 
water  and  sterilize  for  thirty  minutes. 

APRICOTS 

Allow  the  fruit  to  get  thoroughly  ripe,  as  its  dis- 
tinctive flavor  is  developed  largely  during  the  latter  part 


80  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

of  the  ripening  period.  It  is  usually  unnecessary  to 
peel  off  the  skins.  Open,  remove  the  seed  and  proceed 
exactly  as  you  would  for  freestone  peaches. 

BERRIES 

Blackberries,  blueberries,  dewberries,  gooseberries, 
huckleberries  and  strawberries  are  all  canned  in  much 
the  same  way.  Pick  over  the  fruit,  hull  or  stem  it,  wash 
in  a  colander,  pack  into  jars,  cover  with  water  and 
sterilize  for  twenty-five  minutes. 


PEARS  AND  QUINCES 

It  is  always  advisable  to  can  pears  and  quinces  with 
sugar,  although  they  will  keep  equally  well  without  it. 
Peel  and  remove  the  core,  cut  into  quarters  and  drop 
into  a  pan  of  cold  water,  to  which  a  little  salt  has  been 
added.  In  a  few  minutes  remove  from  the  salt  water, 
pack  into  the  jars,  cover  with  water  and  sterilize  for 
forty-five  minutes. 

CANNING  FRUITS  WITH  SUGAR 

Open  Kettle  Method 

All  fruits  may  be  cooked  with  sugar  in  a  preserving 
kettle  and  when  done  transferred  to  jars  and  sealed. 
This  is  not  advisable  with  any  except  possibly  some  of 
the  smaller  fruits,  as  cooking  in  this  way  is  apt  to  make 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  81 

the  fruit  come  to  pieces.     It  is  often  convenient,  however, 
and  it  is  a  perfectly  safe  method  to  follow. 

Soft  fruits  and  berries  require  little  or  no  water. 
The  amount  of  sugar  to  be  used  for  the  different  fruits 
depends  largely  upon  the  individual  taste.  Below  is 
given  a  table,  which  probably  represents  the  amounts 
that  would  suit  the  average  housewife.  This  is  what 
might  be  termed  a  light  sweetening,  and  more  may  be 
easily  added  if  desired. 

AMOUNT  OF  SUGAR  TO  BE  USED  FOR  EACH  QUART  OF  FRUIT 

Apples    i/4  pound     Grapes    l/z  pound 

Apricots   y2  Huckleberries  . . .  %  " 

Blackberries  . . . .  %                 Peaches 14  " 

Blueberries y$      "         Pears 14  * ' 

Cherries   14       "         Plums   1/2 

Crabapples     y2                 Quinces %  " 

Currants %  "         Raspberries    .  . . .  %  '  ' 

Dewberries %                 Strawberries %  " 

Gooseberries  . . . .  %  " 

BERRIES 

Wash  and  prepare  the  fruit,  put  into  the  preserving 
kettle,  add  sugar  according  to  the  table,  bring  slowly  to 
a  boil,  and  boil  for  fifteen  minutes.  First  put  the  rubber 
rings  on  the  jars,  and  then  immerse  them  for  a  moment 
in  hot  water.  Do  this  carefully  to  prevent  breaking  the 
jars.  Fill  with  the  hot  fruit.  Dip  the  tops  in  boiling 
water  and  put  them  on  the  jars.  Clamp  or  screw  down 
the  tops,  and  if  using  a  screw  top  jar,  stand  upside  down 
out  of  a  draft  to  cool. 


82  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


SOFT     FRUITS  —   APRICOTS,     CHERRIES, 

GRAPES,     PEACHES,     PLUMS, 

PEARS  AND  QUINCES 

Peel  or  seed  the  fruit.  Put  into  a  preserving  kettle 
with  a  little  water.  Add  sugar  according  to  the  table, 
bring  to  a  boil  and  cook  until  thoroughly  done.  This 
requires  about  twenty  minutes  for  pears  and  quinces. 
Put  in  jars  and  seal  as  directed. 

CANNING  WITH  SUGAR  IN  JARS 

For  such  fruits  as  apricots,  cherries,  grapes,  peaches 
and  plums  and  all  berries,  prepare  the  fruit,  put  in  the 
jars,  add  the  amount  of  sugar  shown  in  the  table,  cover 
with  water,  put  on  the  rubber  rings  and  tops  loosely. 
Place  in  wash  boiler  upon  false  bottom  and  sterilize  for 
twenty-five  minutes.  Clamp  on  the  tops  and  remove 
from  the  boiler. 

For  such  fruits  as  pears  and  quinces  increase  the 
time  of  boiling  to  forty-five  minutes. 

GRAPE  JUICE 

Many  of  the  grapes  that  go  to  waste  upon  the  farm 
every  year  should  be  used  in  making  grape  juice.  This 
can  be  prepared  with  very  little  trouble  and  may  be 
canned  either  with  or  without  sugar.  There  are  few 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  83 

drinks  that  are  as  palatable  or  as  nutritious  as  cold 
grape  juice. 

The  juice  of  the  grape  contains  from  12  to  25  per 
cent  of  sugar,  depending  upon  the  variety.  As  long  as 
the  grapes  are  sound  and  attached  to  the  vine  the  juicy 
interior  is  sterile,  but  as  soon  as  the  skin  is  broken  many 
kinds  of  ferments,  principally  yeasts,  which  exist  almost 
everywhere  in  great  abundance,  drop  into  the  juice  and 
begin  to  break  up  the  sugar  into  alcohol  and  carbonic 
acid  gas.  This  decomposition  of  the  sugar  by  yeast  is 
the  process  of  wine  making,  and  the  process  will  go  on 
as  long  as  any  sugar  remains  in  the  juice.  When  all 
the  sugar  is  used  up  a  different  set  of  ferments  begin 
work  and  converts  the  alcohol  into  vinegar.  So  it  is 
necessary  to  stop  the  action  of  the  ferments  as  soon  as 
possible  after  the  juice  is  pressed  from  the  grapes.  This 
may  be  done  in  two  ways,  by  the  use  of  some  preservative 
or  by  heat.  A  little  sulphur  is  sometimes  burned  and  the 
fumes  passed  into  the  juice.  This  will  stop  the  fermen- 
tation, but  it  is  a  procedure  that  I  never  recommend. 

It  has  been  proved  that  all  kinds  of  grape  juice  may 
be  sterilized  at  a  temperature  considerably  below  that  of 
boiling  water,  about  175  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  that 
the  flavor  is  some  better  if  the  sterilization  is  done  at 
this  temperature  instead  of  that  of  boiling  water.  But 
the  housewife  seldom  has  a  thermometer  that  will  regis- 
ter this  high  and  must  depend  upon  the  temperature  of 
boiling  water. 

Use  sound  ripe  grapes.  Pick  them  from  the  stems, 
put  into  a  preserving  kettle,  crush  a  few  of  them  and  add 
a  little  water  to  start  the  boiling.  Bring  slowly  to  a  boil 


84  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

and  boil  for  thirty  minutes.  Crush  the  grapes  and  pour 
the  contents  of  the  kettle  into  a  clean  cloth  sack.  Hang 
up  the  sack  and  allow  most  of  the  juice  to  drain  out,  then 
twist  or  press  out  the  rest.  Pour  the  strained  juice  into 
fruit  jars,  put  on  the  rubber  rings  and  the  tops  loosely, 
place  in  clothes  boiler  upon  false  bottom,  bring  to  a  boil 
and  boil  for  fifteen  minutes,  clamp  or  screw  down  the 
tops  and  remove  from  the  boiler. 

This  may  not  be  the  most  scientific,  but  it  is  the  most 
practical  way  of  handling  grape  juice.  A  sediment  will 
form  in  the  jars  after  a  while,  so  when  opening  the  jars 
for  use  pour  off  the  juice  carefully  and  leave  the  sediment 
in  the  bottom  of  the  jar. 

If  a  wine  or  cider  press  is  convenient  the  juice  may 
be  pressed  out  of  the  grapes  first,  then  heated  slowly  up 
to  near  boiling  point  or  until  it  begins  to  steam,  and 
allowed  to  stand  in  a  glass,  enameled  or  aluminum  vessel 
for  about  twenty-four  hours.  By  this  time  a  greater 
part  of  the  sediment  will  have  settled  to  the  bottom  of 
the  vessel.  The  juice  may  now  be  poured  off  through  a 
piece  of  thick  cloth,  put  into  fruit  jars  and  sterilized  as 
before  directed. 

APPLE  JUICE  OR  CIDER 

Put  clean,  sound  apples  through  a  cider  mill  and 
press  out  the  juice.  Strain  the  juice  through  a  thick 
cloth  sack.  Put  into  fruit  jars  and  sterilize  for  fifteen 
minutes,  as  described  under  grape  juice. 

The  common  muscadine  and  fox  grapes  that  grow 
wild  in  such  abundance  throughout  the  South  make 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  85 

excellent  unfermented  juice.  Blackberries,  cherries, 
plums  and  currant  juice  may  also  be  canned  in  this  way. 
Unfermented  fruit  juice  when  opened  may  be  used  for 
making  jelly. 

QUINCE  PRESERVES 

There  is  no  preserve  that  is  finer  than  the  quince,  if 
it  is  prepared  with  care.  You  will  find  that  your  time 
has  been  largely  wasted  if  you  try  to  make  quince  pre- 
serves from  inferior  fruit.  Unless  perfect  fruit  can  be 
obtained  it  is  best  to  use  it  only  for  jelly.  The  imperfect 
fruit  can  be  used  for  jelly,  but  even  then  it  is  trouble- 
some to  prepare  and  will  hardly  repay  you.  The  fruit 
should  be  ripe  when  used  for  preserving.  With  a  soft, 
damp  cloth  rub  the  quinces  clean,  peel,  cut  into  quarters 
and  core,  being  careful  to  remove  all  the  hard,  gritty 
portions  around  the  seed.  Drop  into  cold  water,  to 
which  has  been  added  a  little  salt  to  prevent  discolora- 
tion. As  you  peel  the  fruit  save  all  the  perfect  cores 
and  all  good  skins,  rejecting  the  blossom  end.  Place 
these  in  a  preserving  kettle  and  add  enough  water  to 
cover  them,  let  them  simmer  until  soft  and  strain  off  the 
juice  through  a  coarse  cloth.  Rinse  the  quinces  in  cold 
water,  weigh  and  place  them  in  the  preserving  kettle  with 
this  juice.  Bring  to  a  boil  and  boil  slowly.  Watch  the 
fruit  and  remove  the  pieces  as  they  begin  to  soften. 
Spread  these  on  platters,  each  piece  separate  as  much  as 
possible.  When  all  fruit  has  been  removed  from  the 
juice  add  sugar,  a  pound  of  sugar  for  each  pound  of 
fruit,  to  this  juice.  Bring  to  a  boil,  stirring  frequently 


86  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

until  the  sugar  dissolves.  Carefully  return  the  quinces 
to  the  syrup  and  let  cook  very  slowly.  Scald  a  jar  and 
put  the  rubber  ring  on  the  neck,  and  as  the  pieces  of 
quince  turn  the  desired  color  dip  them  out  and  place  in 
the  jar.  When  the  jar  is  full,  cover  with  syrup  and 
screw  on  the  top  that  has  been  dipped  into  boiling  water. 
Repeat  this  until  all  the  fruit  has  been  put  into  jars. 
All  the  fruit  does  not  cook  in  the  same  length  of  time 
and  in  this  way  you  will  not  overcook  any  and  all  will 
be  done.  Stand  the  jars  upside  down  until  cool. 

CHERRY    PRESERVES 

The  best  cherry  preserves  are  made  from  the  sweet 
red  cherries,  commonly  known  as  sweethearts.  When 
the  cherries  are  thoroughly  ripe,  gather,  wash  and  remove 
the  seed.  Place  the  cherries  in  a  preserving  kettle  in 
layers,  sprinkling  each  layer  with  sugar,  allowing  a  half 
pound  of  sugar  to  a  pound  of  cherries.  Put  over  the  fire 
and  bring  slowly  to  a  boil.  When  the  syrup  is  rich  in 
color  and  about  the  thickness  of  honey,  put  in  jars  and 
seal. 

If  the  sour  varieties  of  cherries  are  being  preserved, 
use  three-quarters  of  a  pound  of  sugar  for  each  pound 
of  fruit. 

PEACH   PRESERVES 

Cut  the  peaches  in  halves,  remove  the  seed,  peel  them 
and  place  in  a  preserving  kettle  in  layers,  sprinkling  each 
layer  with  sugar,  allowing  three-quarters  of  a  pound  of 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  87 

sugar  for  each  pound  of  peaches.  Pour  in  just  enough 
water  to  start  the  steam,  about  a  cupful  is  enough,  and 
place  over  the  fire.  After  the  sugar  has  dissolved  and 
the  syrup  formed,  let  the  peaches  cook  slowly  until  they 
begin  to  turn  pink.  Lift  them  carefully  from  the  syrup 
and  spread  upon  a  platter,  each  piece  separately  as  much 
as  possible.  Cook  the  syrup  on  until  it  is  about  as  thick 
as  honey.  Return  the  peaches  to  the  syrup  and  when 
they  are  as  red  as  desired  put  them  in  jars  and  seal. 

The  flavor  of  the  preserve  is  improved  by  leaving 
two  or  three  peach  seeds  in  each  jar. 

If  the  peaches  are  to  be  preserved  whole,  peel  and 
proceed  exactly  as  for  those  without  seed  except  allow 
one-half  pound  of  sugar  to  each  pound  of  fruit. 


PRESERVED  TOMATOES 

If  the  housewife  would  always  plant  a  few  vines  of 
the  small  red  or  yellow,  plum  or  pear  varieties  of  toma- 
toes, she  would  never  be  left  without  something  to  pre- 
serve if  the  other  fruit  should  fail.  Even  if  there  is 
plenty  of  fruit,  tomato  preserves  will  make  an  excellent 
addition. 

Take  the  ripe  tomatoes  and  immerse  them,  a  few  at  a 
time,  in  boiling  water  for  a  few  minutes  only.  Remove 
the  skins  carefully  so  as  not  to  break  the  tomatoes. 
Weigh  them  and  put  them  into  a  preserving  kettle  with 
as  many  pounds  of  granulated  sugar  as  you  have  of 
tomatoes. 

Prepare  green  ginger  root  by  carefully  scraping  off 


88  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

the  skin  and  shaving  it  into  small  bits.  Add  one  level 
teaspoonful  of  these  ginger  shavings  for  each  two 
pounds  of  tomatoes. 

Let  the  contents  of  the  kettle  come  to  a  boil  and  boil 
for  ten  minutes.  Remove  the  tomatoes  from  the  syrup 
and  spread  them  upon  a  flat  dish  to  cool.  This  will  keep 
them  from  coming  to  pieces.  When  cool  return  them  to 
the  boiling  syrup  and  boil  gently  until  they  are  about  the 
consistency  of  honey.  Put  into  jars  while  hot,  adding  a 
slice  of  lemon  to  each  jar  before  sealing. 

TOMATO  MINCEMEAT 

Slice  up  a  quantity  of  green  tomatoes  and  sprinkle 
well  with  salt.  Put  into  a  bag  and  hang  up  to  drip  all 
night.  The  salt  which  is  left  on  the  tomatoes  will  not 
need  to  be  washed  off.  In  the  morning  take  equal 
weights  of  sugar  and  tomatoes  and  cook  until  the  toma- 
toes are  thoroughly  done.  To  seven  pounds  of  the  mix- 
ture of  tomatoes  and  sugar  add  three  pounds  of  seedless 
raisins,  with  mace  and  cinnamon  to  suit  the  taste.  Cook 
a  short  time  after  adding  the  seasoning  and  put  into 
jars.  This  will  keep  without  being  sealed  and  will  make 
pies  that  many  consider  as  good  as  those  from  ordinary 
mincemeat. 

PICKLES,  KETCHUPS  AND  RELISHES 

In  nearly  every  garden,  upon  the  approach  of  frost, 
there  are  quantities  of  green  tomatoes  and  green  peppers 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  89 

still  left  upon  the  vines.  The  canning  and  preserving 
for  the  winter  is  all  over  by  this  time  and  the  housewife 
can  well  utilize  these  in  making  pickles,  ketchups  and 
relishes,  not  only  for  home  use  but  for  the  market.  The 
last  of  the  ripe  tomatoes  may  be  used  for  making  chili 
sauce  and  ripe  tomato  ketchup,  and  the  large  green  ones, 
if  gathered  and  put  in  a  cool  place,  will  gradually  ripen 
and  may  be  used  on  the  table,  while  the  small  green  ones 
may  be  worked  up  into  mixed  pickles,  piccalillis  and 
ketchups.  When  properly  made,  there  is  a  good  demand 
for  homemade  chili  sauce,  chopped  pickles  and  other  rel- 
ishes. I  will  give  a  few  recipes  that  will  be  found  suit- 
able either  for  home  use  or  for  market. 

I  have  a  friend,  Miss  Helen  Boyd,  of  Washington, 
D.  C.,  who  a  few  years  ago  made  the  chopped  pickle  for 
a  social  club  of  that  city,  after  the  following  recipe.  She 
received  $3  a  gallon  for  it : 

CHOPPED  PICKLE 

Chop  fine  with  a  knife  or  run  through  a  coarse  food 
chopper : 

-/4  peck  of  green  tomatoes.  3  cucumbers. 

14  peck  of  small  onions.  6  large  red  peppers. 

•/4  peck   of   yellow   string  3  cauliflowers, 
beans. 

Place  in  a  brine  made  by  dissolving  one  pound  of 
salt  in  five  pints  of  water  and  let  set  over  night.  In  the 
morning  bring  the  brine,  with  the  vegetables  still  in  it, 
to  a  boil  and  keep  boiling  for  a  few  minutes. 


90  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

In  a  separate  vessel  bring  one  gallon  of  cider  vinegar 
to  a  boil.  With  a  little  water  make  a  paste  of : 

%  pound  of  ground  mus-      1  cup  of  brown  sugar. 

tard.  2  level    tablespoonfuls    of 

1/4  ounce  of  tumeric.  flour. 

Put  this  paste,  with  a  half  ounce  of  celery  seed,  in 
the  vinegar  and  boil  until  it  begins  to  thicken.  Now 
take  the  vegetables  up,  drain  off  the  brine,  put  the  vege- 
tables in  another  saucepan,  and  pour  the  boiling  vinegar 
mixture  over  them.  Mix  well,  put  in  jars,  and  seal  while 
hot.  This  pickle  is  best  when  about  the  consistency  of 
thick  cream.  If  very  much  water  is  left  in  the  vege- 
tables in  the  form  of  brine  it  will  be  too  thin.  In  this 
case  use  more  flour  and  thicken  it.  Instead  of  the  cauli- 
flower an  equal  part  of  celery  or  cabbage  may  be  substi- 
tuted. 

A  few  years  ago  I  was  out  upon  the  United  States 
Reclamation  Project  at  Fallon,  Nevada,  and  Mrs.  F.  B. 
Headley,  the  wife  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Experi- 
ment Farm,  had  some  tomato  relish  which  I  thought  was 
excellent,  and  since  that  time  I  have  put  up  a  great  deal 
of  it.  This  is  her  recipe : 

TOMATO  RELISH 

Scald  and  skin  fifteen  ripe  tomatoes.  Pare,  core  and 
cut  into  small  pieces  six  sour  apples.  Peel  five  medium 
sized  onions.  Chop  all  of  these  very  fine,  using  a  food 
chopper,  if  you  have  one.  Put  into  a  large  saucepan 
with: 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  91 

2  level    tablespoonfuls    of     y$  teaspoonful  of  cayenne 

salt.  pepper. 

3  green  peppers  or  1  level     %  pint  of  vinegar. 

teaspoonful     of     black 
pepper. 

Bring  to  a  boil  and  boil  slowly  for  one  and  one-half 
hours.  Remove  the  vessel  from  the  stove,  put  the  relish 
into  jars  or  bottles  and  seal  while  hot.  This  is  mild  and 
delicious  when  served  with  meats,  oysters  or  vegetables. 

Dr.  B.  L.  Howard,  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
has  originated  the  following  recipe  for  chili  sauce,  which 
I  think  is  superior  to  anything  of  the  kind  I  have  ever 
put  up : 

CHILI   SAUCE 

Scald  and  peel  sound,  ripe  red  tomatoes.  Chop  into 
small  pieces  by  pressing  through  a  half -inch  screen  or  by 
running  through  a  coarse  meat  chopper : 

36  pounds  of  tomatoes.  10  ounces  of  ripe  bullnose 

2  pounds  of  chopped  peppers     (after    stems' 

onions.  and  seed  have  been  re- 

moved). 

The  bullnose  peppers  should  be  hot  enough  to  give 
the  proper  flavor  to  the  sauce.  In  case  they  are  too  mild, 
a  small  amount  of  cayenne  should  be  added.  A  pound 
of  large,  sweet,  or  Chinese  peppers,  if  they  can  be  had, 
will  also  add  richness  and  color.  Put  into  a  granite- 
ware  or  enameled  kettle  and  concentrate  to  eighteen 
pounds.  Because  of  the  tendency  to  settle  to  the  bottom 


92  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

of  the  kettle  and  burn,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  allow  the 
tomatoes  to  stand  for  a  few  minutes  after  chopping, 
during  which  time  considerable  juice  will  separate  out. 
This  can  be  poured  off  and  placed  in  the  kettle  and  con- 
centrated before  the  rest  of  the  above  ingredients  are 
added.  After  concentrating  to  eighteen  pounds,  add 
two  and  one-quarter  pounds  of  cider  vinegar  and  nine 
ounces  of  salt. 

Concentrate  further  to  eighteen  and  one-half  pounds 
and  add  six  pounds  of  sugar.  Boil  slowly  five  to  ten 
minutes.  Put  into  jars  that  have  been  washed  in  boiling 
water  and  seal  while  hot.  The  above  quantity  will  yield 
about  twenty-three  pounds,  or  sufficient  to  fill  eighteen 
to  twenty  pint  jars. 

Throughout  the  boiling  care  must  be  exercised  by 
stirring  to  keep  the  ingredients  from  settling  to  the  bot- 
tom and  burning.  This  is  especially  necessary  after  the 
sugar  is  added.  In  order  to  weigh  the  contents  of  the 
kettle  at  different  stages  in  the  process  of  concentration, 
the  weight  of  the  empty  kettle  should  be  noted  at  the 
start.  The  kettle,  with  its  contents,  can  then  be  set  on 
the  scales  or  hung  on  the  balance  from  time  to  time  with- 
out inconvenience,  and  the  weight  of  the  contents  easily 
determined.  This  sauce  is  not  likely  to  mold;  but,  as  a 
precaution  against  spoiling,  it  is  advisable — after  filling 
the  jars  and  putting  on  the  rubbers  and  tops — to  place 
them  in  the  clothes  boiler  and  sterilize  them  for  about 
thirty  minutes.  If  this  sauce  is  properly  made,  it  will 
have  a  bright  red  color  and  a  rather  mild  and  sweet 
taste.  It  is  good  when  served  with  meats,  oysters,  baked 
beans,  etc. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN  93 

For  those  wishing  a  sauce  not  quite  so  sweet,  but 
more  on  the  order  of  a  pickle,  the  following  recipe,  which 
was  given  to  me  by  Mrs.  P.  H.  Smyth,  of  Falls  Church, 
Virginia,  will  be  found  satisfactory : 

Recipe  No.  2 

Scald  and  peel  twenty-four  ripe  tomatoes ;  chop  these 
up  with  two  red  bullnose  peppers,  two  green  bullnose 
peppers  and  two  large  onions.  Put  into  an  enameled 
saucepan  and  add : 

4      cups  of  vinegar.  2  level    teaspoonfuls    of 

11/2  cups  of  brown  sugar.  whole  cloves. 

2      level  tablespoonfuls  of     2  level  teaspoonfuls  of  cin- 

salt.  namon. 

2      level    teaspoonfuls    of     2  level    teaspoonfuls    of 
whole  allspice.  ground  ginger. 

2  level    teaspoonfuls    of 
ground  nutmeg. 

Bring  to  a  boil,  stirring  frequently  to  prevent  scorch- 
ing, and  boil  until  the  sauce  begins  to  thicken.  The 
onions  will  then  be  well  done.  This  should  not  take  over 
an  hour.  Remove  the  vessel  from  the  stove,  put  the 
sauce  into  jars,  and  seal  while  hot.  This  will  keep  in 
wide-mouthed  bottles  if  they  are  well  corked  and  dipped 
in  paraffin. 

TOMATO   SWEET   PICKLE 

Take  one  peck  of  green  tomatoes  and  six  large  onions. 
Slice,  sprinkle  one  cup  of  salt  over  them,  and  let  stand 


94  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

over  night.  In  the  morning  drain,  add  two  quarts  of 
water  and  one  quart  of  vinegar,  boil  fifteen  minutes,  then 
drain  again  and  throw  away  this  vinegar  and  water. 
Add  to  the  tomatoes  and  onions : 

2  pounds  of  sugar.  2  level    tablespoonfuls    of 

2  quarts  of  vinegar.  ginger. 

2  level    tablespoonfuls  of     2  level    tablespoonfuls    of 

cloves.  mustard. 

2  level    tablespoonfuls  of     2  level    tablespoonfuls    of 

allspice.  cinnamon. 

1  teaspoonful  of  cayenne. 

Boil  for  fifteen  minutes.  The  allspice  and  cloves 
should  be  tied  in  a  piece  of  thin  cloth,  which  should  be 
removed  when  through  cooking.  Put  in  jars  and  seal 
while  hot. 


PICCALILLI 

Slice  up  one  peck  of  green  tomatoes  and  two  quarts 
of  onions.  Place  the  tomatoes  and  onions  in  a  colander 
in  alternate  layers  and  sprinkle  each  layer  with  salt. 
Let  these  drain  all  night.  In  the  morning  put  into  an 
enameled  kettle  with : 


4  level    tablespoonfuls  o{     4  level    tablespoonfuls    of 
whole  allspice.  cinnamon  bark. 

4  level    tablespoonfuls  of     5  red  bullnose  peppers, 
whole  cloves.  2  cups  of  sugar. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  95 

Press  down  into  the  kettle  and  add  enough  vinegar  to 
cover.  Cook  until  tender.  Put  into  jars  and  seal  while 
hot. 


TOMATO   KETCHUP 

It  is  quite  an  art  to  make  good  ketchup.  The  toma- 
toes should  be  of  a  red  variety  and  thoroughly  ripe. 
They  should  be  gone  over  carefully,  and  all  hard  or 
green  spots  discarded.  The  boiling  should  be  done  as 
rapidly  as  possible  in  an  enameled,  aluminum,  or  porce- 
lain-lined preserving  kettle.  Long  boiling  has  a  tendency 
to  darken  the  product.  With  the  exception  of  cayenne 
pepper,  which  should  be  ground,  whole  spices  should  be 
used  whenever  possible.  Ground  spices  darken  the 
ketchup. 

I  have  used  the  recipe  given  here  with  good  success : 
Take  one  peck  of  red  ripe  tomatoes,  clean  them,  put  them 
in  a  preserving  kettle,  and  cook  until  thoroughly  done. 
Mash  them  through  a  fine  strainer  to  remove  the  skin 
and  seeds.  Add  to  this  eight  level  tablespoonfuls  of 
salt  and  one  level  tablespoonful  of  cayenne  pepper.  Sus- 
pend in  the  tomatoes  a  flannel  bag  containing : 

2  level    tablespoonfuls  of     1  level  tablespoonful  of  all- 
black  pepper.  spice. 

6  level    tablespoonfuls  of     1  level  tablespoonful  of 

mustard.  cloves. 

1  level     tablespoonful  of 
cinnamon. 


96  ECONOMY  IN   THE   KITCHEN 

Boil  as  rapidly  as  possible  until  the  ketchup  begins 
to  thicken;  then  add  one  quart  of  vinegar  and  continue 
boiling  until  a  teaspoonful  placed  in  a  saucer  will  not 
give  off  any  water.  Remove  the  bag  containing  the 
spices,  put  the  ketchup  in  jars  or  bottles,  and  seal  or  cork 
while  hot.  If  paraffin  is  convenient,  melt  a  small  quan- 
tity in  a  saucepan,  invert  the  bottle  of  ketchup  and  dip 
the  cork  and  upper  part  of  the  bottle  neck  in  it.  The 
paraffin  will  help  to  keep  out  mold  spores. 

PICKLED  CUCUMBERS  AND  ONIONS 
(UNCOOKED) 

1  gallon  of  vinegar.  1  pint  of  sugar. 

1  pint  of  salt. 

Mix  these  ingredients  thoroughly.  As  your  cucum- 
bers reach  the  size  you  like,  gather  them  each  morning, 
when  still  cool,  wash  them,  but  be  sure  they  are  dry,  and 
drop  them  into  the  vinegar.  The  onions  may  be  added 
whenever  convenient  and  in  any  proportion  desired. 
Red  peppers  improve  the  flavor,  and  any  whole  spices 
may  be  added  that  the  individual  taste  may  like.  Keep 
in  a  cool  place  and  be  sure  that  the  liquid  covers  the 
cucumbers  and  onions.  This  pickle  is  best  after  it  has 
been  standing  for  about  six  weeks. 


SWEET   PICKLED   CHERRIES 

It  is  best  to  use  the  Early  Richmond,  or  some  other 
large  sour  variety.    Wash  the  cherries,  and  cut  the  stems 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  97 

to  a  half  inch  or  less.  "Weigh  the  fruit  and  put  it  into 
the  jars.  For  every  pound  of  cherries,  weigh  out  one- 
half  pound  of  sugar.  In  a  preserving  kettle  put  a  cup  of 
vinegar  for  each  pint  of  cherries,  add  the  sugar,  place 
over  the  fire,  and  when  thoroughly  dissolved,  distribute 
it  throughout  the  jars  so  that  each  jar  will  have  the 
required  amount  of  sugar.  If  any  space  is  left  in  the 
jars,  fill  it  up  with  pure  vinegar.  Put  on  the  rubbers 
and  tops.  Place  in  the  wash  boiler  on  the  false  bottom 
and  sterilize  for  twenty  minutes. 


SWEET  PICKLED  PEACHES  OR  PEARS 

For  twelve  pounds  of  fruit  use  four  pounds  of  sugar 
and  a  pint  and  a  half  of  vinegar,  with  a  few  cloves  and  a 
few  sticks  of  cinnamon.  Place  all  together  in  a  preserv- 
ing kettle.  Cook  slowly  until  the  fruit  begins  to  get  a 
little  soft.  Dip  out  the  pieces  as  they  soften  and  fill  up 
the  jars  with  them.  Cover  with  the  boiling  syrup  and 
seal. 

BREAD  MAKING 

It  has  been  said  that  more  divorces  are  due  to  poor 
bread  than  to  any  other  one  cause.  This  may  be  an 
extreme  view  of  the  case,  but  certain  it  is  that  few  house- 
wives can  make  good  bread.  By  good  bread  I  mean 
wholesome,  nutritious  bread,  and  bread  that  can  be  easily 
digested.  The  hot  biscuit,  so  common  in  the  South,  are 
good,  there  is  no  question  about  that,  if  taste  alone  is  to 


98  ECONOMY   IN   THE   KITCHEN 

be  considered.  I  ate  them  regularly  for  twenty-six 
years,  but  I  don't  want  to  have  to  do  it  again.  At  a 
bleached  flour  hearing  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  I  heard  a 
miller  from  St.  Louis  say  that  the  Southern  housewife 
required  only  fifteen  minutes  to  get  the  flour  from  the 
barrel  into  her  children 's  stomachs.  My  sympathies  went 
out  to  the  children,  for  a  few  years  ago  I  was  one  of  them 
myself. 

The  New  England  housewife  is  far  ahead  of  her 
Southern  sister  when  it  comes  to  making  bread.  She  has 
her  " baking  day,"  which  is  unknown  in  the  South,  and 
bakes  enough  at  one  time  to  last  her  all  the  week. 

It  is  possible  for  every  housewife  on  the  farm  to  make 
as  good  a  loaf  of  bread  as  that  which  is  turned  out  by 
the  ordinary  commercial  bake  shop.  It  is  not  a  matter  of 
luck,  but  she  can  not  expect  to  do  this  on  the  first  trial. 
It  will  necessitate  repeated  efforts  with  plenty  of 
patience,  until  the  skill  or  so-called  technique,  is  devel- 
oped. 

In  this  short  chapter  it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to 
give  full  directions,  as  the  baking  of  bread  can  not  be 
described  in  a  few  words,  but  enough  may  be  said  to 
cause  the  housewife  to  set  out  to  improve  her  loaf,  and 
the  vast  majority  of  loaves  are  capable  of  being  im- 
proved. Bread  making  depends  largely  upon  the  indi- 
vidual, so  practice  and  exercise  patience,  there  is  a  reason 
for  every  step,  think  what  you  are  doing  as  you  go  along 
and  watch  the  improvement  in  your  loaf. 

In  this  chapter  by  bread  is  meant  the  ordinary  risen 
loaf,  or  bakers '  bread. 

Bread  is  the  most  important  part  of  the  diet,  the 


ECONOMY  IN  THE  KITCHEN  99 

11  staff  of  life,"  and  the  ability  to  make  a  good  loaf  is  one 
of  the  greatest  accomplishments  a  woman  can  have.  Its 
importance  as  a  foodstuff  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  every 
man,  woman  and  child  in  the  United  States  consumes 
about  four  and  one-half  bushels  of  wheat  a  year,  or 
about  as  much  as  is  required  to  make  one  barrel  of  flour. 

As  in  all  kinds  of  cookery,  there  are  many  of  the 
so-called  essentials,  but  probably  the  most  essential  part 
of  bread  making  is  a  good  flour.  All  flours  are  not  suit- 
able for  bread  making.  A  flour  that  will  make  good 
pastry  will  not  make  a  good  loaf  of  bread.  The  quality 
of  flour  depends  absolutely  upon  the  character  of  the 
wheat  from  which  it  is  ground,  and  the  character  of  the 
wheat  depends  largely  upon  the  locality  in  which  it  is 
grown.  The  strong  flours,  or  those  suitable  for  bread 
making,  are  made  from  hard  wheats,  while  the  starchy 
flours,  or  those  suitable  for  pastry,  are  made  from  soft 
wheats.  In  the  United  States  the  hard  wheats  are  grown 
in  a  rather  limited  area,  the  best  of  them,  the  hard 
spring  wheats,  such  as  Blue  Stem  and  Velvet  Chaff,  com- 
ing from  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas,  while  hard  winter 
wheats  come  largely  from  Kansas.  The  soft  wheats  are 
grown  throughout  the  Eastern,  Southern  and  Central 
states  and  in  California. 

While  not  an  infallible  guide,  the  housewife  can  often 
judge  a  flour  by  where  the  wheat  was  grown  and  milled. 
While  the  hard  wheats  are  often  shipped  out  of  their  own 
locality  to  be  milled,  it  is  a  rare  occurrence  when  a  soft 
wheat  is  shipped  in  and  milled  in  a  hard  wheat  section, 
therefore  a  flour  coming  from  Minnesota  or  the  Dakotas, 
under  a  good  brand,  is  almost  sure  to  be  a  strong  flour, 


100          ECONOMY  IN  THE  KITCHEN 

and  suitable  for  bread  making.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
flour  that  is  milled  in  Virginia,  for  example,  is  almost 
sure  to  be  a  soft  flour  and  suitable  for  pastry. 

The  word  " patent/'  or  " fancy  patent/'  upon  a  sack 
means  little  or  nothing  so  far  as  the  average  housewife 
is  concerned.  She  had  better  try  out  several  brands  that 
are  available  and  select  the  one  with  which  she  is  the 
most  successful.  As  a  general  rule,  the  lower  grades  of 
flour  are  more  nutritious  and  will  be  found  just  as  satis- 
factory as  the  " fancy  patent." 

The  strength  of  the  flour,  or  its  ability  to  make  a 
good  loaf  of  bread,  depends  largely  upon  the  amount  and 
quality  of  the  gluten  it  contains.  The  gluten  is  the 
sticky,  gummy  material  that  one  gets  by  chewing  a  few 
kernels  of  wheat,  and  it  is  this  gluten  that  gives  wheat 
its  superiority  over  other  cereal  grains.  This  gluten  is 
the  protein  that  contains  the  nitrogen  and  varies  from 
18  to  14  per  cent  in  flours.  Without  some  gluten  a 
dough  would  not  rise  and  hold  its  shape,  and  this  fact 
makes  it  impossible  to  make  a  loaf  out  of  rice  flour,  for 
example,  because  rice  flour  contains  no  gluten. 

The  next  essential  in  bread  making  is  a  good  yeast. 
Yeast  is  just  as  much  of  a  plant  as  the  vegetables  that 
grow  in  the  garden  and  exists  in  nature  in  a  great  variety 
of  species.  It  is  so  small,  however,  that  it  can  not  be 
seen  with  the  naked  eye,  and,  although  it  has  no  roots,  it 
grows  very  much  like  some  of  our  ordinary  cultivated 
plants,  that  is,  by  throwing  out  buds  or  shoots.  It  is 
one  of  the  oldest  cultivated  plants  in  existence,  having 
been  used  by  the  Egyptians  and  other  people  of  antiquity 
long  before  the  dawn  of  history.  In  growing  it  has  a 


ECONOMY  IN 


peculiar  property  of  using  up  sugar  and  forming  alcohol 
and  carbonic  acid  gas.  The  fact  that  it  produces  alcohol 
is  responsible  for  its  use  in  the  manufacture  of  whisky 
and  beer,  while  its  production  of  carbonic  acid  gas  makes 
it  valuable  in  bread  making.  Yeast  is  used  in  bread 
making  for  the  same  reason  that  baking  powder  or  soda 
and  sour  milk  are  used  in  other  forms  of  cookery,  that  is, 
because  they  liberate  carbonic  acid  gas.  It  is  necessary 
to  have  a  gas  mixed  into  the  dough  in  order  to  stretch  its 
particles  apart  and  make  it  light. 

Yeast  will  continue  to  work  as  long  as  it  has  air,  food, 
water  and  the  proper  temperature.  If  left  with  a  lim- 
ited amount  of  air  it  sours  and  will  not  keep  very  long. 
However,  if  it  is  dried  down  it  becomes  dormant  and 
may  be  kept  for  a  long  time  and  becomes  the  dried  yeast 
of  commerce.  Fresh  compressed  yeast  is  always  the  most 
satisfactory,  and  in  these  days  of  rural  mail  and  parcel 
post,  a  fresh  cake  can  be  gotten  by  almost  every  house- 
wife when  required.  However,  dried  yeast  may  be  used 
with  excellent  results,  as  will  be  shown  later. 

Sugar  is  added  to  the  dough  in  order  to  start  the 
action  of  the  yeast.  After  it  has  once  become  active,  it 
will  secrete  an  enzyme,  which  converts  the  starch  into 
sugar,  and,  if  unmolested,  the  action  will  continue  until 
all  the  starch  has  been  used  up. 


IN  THE  KITCHEN 


SHORT   PROCESS   BREAD 

PROPORTIONS  FOR  FOUR  LOAVES 

1  quart  of  water.  3  quarts  sifted  flour. 

4  teaspoonfuls  of  salt.  1  cake  of  compressed  yeast. 

2  tablespoonfuls  of  sugar. 

In  using  the  above  proportions  all  measurements 
should  be  made  level.  The  raising  can  best  be  done  in 
some  thick-walled  vessel,  such  as  an  earthenware  bowl 
or  crock.  Always  have  such  a  vessel  warm  and  buttered 
before  putting  in  the  dough.  Have  the  water  luke  warm, 
between  80  and  90  degrees,  and  mix  into  it  the  yeast 
and  sugar.  Mix  the  salt  into  the  flour,  and  add  this  to 
the  liquid.  When  all  has  been  added  and  thoroughly 
mixed  the  dough  should  be  at  the  proper  consistency, 
and  should  not  stick  to  the  bowl  or  to  the  hands.  A  stiff 
dough  will  be  apt  to  make  a  hard  loaf.  If  it  is  still 
sticky,  a  little  more  flour  may  be  added,  but  as  little  as 
possible  to  keep  it  from  sticking.  Knead  the  dough  a 
few  minutes  until  smooth.  Cover  closely  in  a  bowl  until 
it  has  raised  to  double  its  original  size,  keeping  at  a  tem- 
perature as  near  86  degrees  as  possible.  The  first  raising 
will  take  two  hours  or  a  little  more,  work  it  back  and  let 
it  rise  again  to  double  its  size,  which  should  take  about 
one  hour.  Then  make  the  dough  into  four  loaves.  Put 
into  pans  that  have  been  lightly  greased,  cover  and  set 
to  rise.  When  the  dough  has  again  doubled  its  bulk  it  is 
ready  for  the  oven. 


ECONOMY   IN   THE   KITCHEN  103 

The  most  difficult  feature  of  bread  making  in  the 
ordinary  kitchen  is  the  control  of  the  temperature  while 
it  is  rising.  For  the  best  results  a  uniform  temperature 
of  86  degrees  is  required ;  however,  a  variation  of  several 
degrees  up  or  down  makes  very  little  difference.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  the  temperature  of  the  body 
is  about  98  degrees,  so  that  the  dough  should  always  feel 
cool  to  the  hands.  Always  keep  the  dough  covered,  and 
the  crock  wrapped  either  in  a  heavy  cloth  or  several 
thicknesses  of  paper.  Keep  in  a  warm  place  that  is  free 
from  drafts  or  cold  currents  of  air. 

In  the  control  of  temperature  a  fireless  cooker  is 
often  used  with  very  good  results.  The  use  of  an  incu- 
bator, which  may  be  found  on  almost  any  farm,  has  been 
suggested  by  Miss  Hannah  Wessling,  of  the  Bureau  of 
Chemistry,  and  will  be  found  practical  in  many  cases. 
The  stove  oven  may  also  be  used,  a  tea  kettle  of  boiling 
water  being  placed  in  the  oven  with  the  dough  to  keep 
the  temperature  even.  The  yeast  plant  in  growing  is 
quickly  affected  by  a  change  of  temperature,  and  if  once 
chilled  to  50  degrees,  will  probably  require  four  times  as 
long  to  do  the  same  amount  of  work  as  it  would  have 
done  had  it  been  held  at  the  proper  temperature.  There- 
fore never  let  the  dough  get  cold.  Close  both  doors  and 
windows  when  working  over  the  dough  and  when  form- 
ing it  for  pans,  and  have  the  bread  board  warm. 

Yeast  needs  air  the  same  as  any  other  plant,  and  this 
is  one  of  the  reasons  for  working  back  the  dough.  Not 
only  is  the  gas  that  has  already  been  generated  by  the 
yeast  distributed  uniformly  through  the  dough,  but  oxy- 
gen is  worked  into  it  at  the  same  time,  which  gives  the 


104  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

yeast  fresh  vitality.  The  large  bubbles  of  gas  are  broken 
up  into  small  ones,  which  will  give  the  fine  texture  to  the 
bread.  It  is  a  common  mistake  for  the  housewife  to 
knead  her  dough  too  much,  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  is 
enough.  One  can  easily  tell  when  the  dough  has  been 
worked  enough  by  its  smooth  appearance  and  its  spongy 
feel.  A  well-worked  dough  is  elastic  and  will  rebound 
when  struck  with  the  knuckles  of  the  hand.  Don't  try 
to  shape  the  dough  to  the  pan,  the  last  raising  will  take 
care  of  this,  but  pull  out  the  dough  to  about  the  length  of 
the  pan,  fold  it  over  so  that  the  crease  will  be  under- 
neath, and  pack  it  tightly  into  the  bottom  of  the  pan. 

It  is  a  rather  difficult  matter  to  tell  exactly  when  the 
pans  should  be  placed  in  the  oven.  If  allowed  to  stand 
too  long  the  dough  will  "fall,"  that  is,  the  amount  of 
gas  in  the  dough  will  have  become  too  great  to  be  held 
by  it,  and  the  dough  will  break  and  allow  it  to  escape. 
The  pan  should  be  placed  in  the  oven  about  fifteen  min- 
utes before  there  is  a  possibility  of  this  happening.  At 
this  stage  in  the  baking  process  is  where  the  experience 
of  the  housewife  will  be  a  great  help.  A  safe  plan  is  to 
allow  the  dough  to  rise  to  double  the  volume  it  had  when 
placed  in  the  pans.  This  can  be  roughly  estimated  by 
making  a  mark  on  the  baking  pan  or  by  pinching  off  a 
piece  of  the  dough  and  pressing  it  down  into  a  warm 
tumbler,  measuring  its  volume,  doubling  this,  and  mark- 
ing on  the  glass  the  volume  to  be  obtained  by  the  dough. 
Submit  this  to  the  same  temperature  as  the  dough  in 
the  pans,  and  put  the  pans  in  the  oven  when  the  dough 
has  reached  the  mark. 

The  oven  should  be  about  400  degrees.    The  ordinary 


ECONOMY   IN   THE  KITCHEN  105 

household  thermometer  will  not  register  this  tempera- 
ture, but  the  housewife  can  get  a  fair  idea  by  sprinkling 
a  teaspoonful  of  flour  upon  a  piece  of  white  paper  and 
placing  it  in  the  oven.  If  it  turns  light  brown  in  five 
minutes  the  oven  is  right  for  the  bread.  If  baking  rolls, 
the  flour  should  be  brown  in  three  minutes.  When  baked 
in  single  loaves  the  time  required  in  the  oven  varies  from 
forty-five  to  sixty  minutes. 

Contrary  to  what  most  people  think,  the  interior  of 
the  loaf  never  gets  any  hotter  than  the  temperature  of 
boiling  water. 

In  a  well-regulated  oven,  after  about  fifty  minutes, 
the  loaves  will  become  brown  all  over  and  will  begin  to 
shrink  away  from  the  sides  of  the  pans.  They  are  now 
ready  to  come  out.  Remove  them  from  the  oven,  turn 
them  upside  down  and  shake  them  out  of  the  pans,  and 
set  them  across  the  sides  of  the  pans  on  the  edges  to 
cool.  Do  not  wrap  up  the  bread  until  cool,  as  it  will 
sweat  and  turn  sour  quicker  than  otherwise.  When  cold 
put  in  a  closed  bread  box  or  wrap  up  until  used. 


SOFT   SPONGE   METHOD 

When  fresh  compressed  yeast  is  not  available,  the 
housewife  must  resort  to  the  dried  yeast  or  homemade 
yeast.  As  has  been  said  before,  the  yeast  plants  in  this 
form  are  dormant  and  do  not  begin  acting  on  the  sugar 
nearly  so  rapidly  as  the  fresh  yeast,  therefore  it  must  be 
given  more  time.  As  the  yeast  develops  more  rapidly 
in  a  soft  than  in  a  stiff  dough,  it  is  customary  to  make 


IPS  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

up  all  of  the  water,  sugar  and  salt  and  to  use  only  about 
one-half  of  the  flour.  This  is  made  up  and  allowed  to 
stand  over  night,  and  in  the  morning  the  balance  of  the 
flour  is  worked  in.  From  then  on,  the  method  is  exactly 
the  same  as  for  fresh  yeast.  One  cake  of  dried  yeast  is 
usually  enough  for  four  loaves. 

If  preferable,  the  housewife  may  use  milk  instead  of 
water,  or  a  mixture  of  milk  and  water,  in  either  of  the 
two  methods.  The  milk  should  be  boiled  before  using. 
If  any  shortening  is  desired,  about  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  butter  or  any  other  cooking  fat  may  be  worked  into 
four  loaves  when  the  first  mixture  is  made. 


ROLLS 

Many  housewives  can  make  good  rolls,  when  they 
nearly  always  fail  on  bread.  Rolls  may  be  made  from 
the  same  dough  that  is  used  for  bread,  and  oftentimes 
the  same  dough  may  be  kept  over  from  day  to  day,  keep- 
ing it  cool  over  night  and  working  in  flour  to  take  the 
place  of  the  dough  removed  for  the  daily  baking. 

Bolls  are  better  if  they  have  some  butter  or  other 
shortening  kneaded  into  them.  Shape  out  the  dough, 
put  into  buttered  pans,  and  bake  in  an  oven  that  is  little 
hotter  than  that  used  for  bread. 

There  is  a  flavor  to  good  homemade  bread  that 
is  seldom  attained  by  the  professional  bakers,  and  the 
knowledge  that  it  is  the  product  of  your  own  efforts,  and 
is  clean  and  wholesome,  is  worth  much.  There  are  few 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN          107 

things  more  beautiful  than  a  well-shaped,  brown  loaf  of 
bread,  and  when  you  learn  to  make  one  you  will  take 
great  pride  in  your  accomplishment. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  SAUER  KRAUT 

Prepare  the  cabbage  as  you  would  for  the  table  by 
removing  the  stem  and  outer  green  leaves.  Cut  the  head 
into  quarters,  and  cut  the  four  pieces  into  shreds  with  a 
large  knife.  Pack  the  shreds  into  any  water-tight  vessel 
that  is  not  made  of  a  material  that  will  rust.  A  stone- 
ware crock  or  wooden  keg  will  be  satisfactory.  As  the 
shredded  cabbage  is  packed  in,  add  salt  at  the  rate  of 
one  pound  of  salt  to  forty  pounds  of  cabbage.  Add  the 
salt  as  evenly  as  possible  and  when  the  vessel  is  full, 
pack  down  firmly  and  cover  with  a  clean  board  or  plate, 
and  cover  over  the  top  with  a  cloth.  The  salt  will 
extract  part  of  the  water  from  the  cabbage  and  form  a 
brine,  which  should  cover  the  cabbage  during  the  fer- 
mentation process.  If  a  scum  forms  on  the  top  of  the 
kraut  it  should  be  removed.  Be  sure  to  keep  the  cab- 
bage weighted  down  and  covered  by  the  brine.  In  coo] 
weather  it  will  take  about  four  weeks  before  the  kraut 
is  ready  to  use. 

It  is  best  to  make  sauer  kraut  out  of  late  cabbage,  as 
this  will  keep  all  winter. 


108  ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


HOW  TO  MAKE  COTTAGE  CHEESE 

The  housewife  upon  the  farm  often  has  quantities  of 
milk  left  over,  which  may  be  made  into  cottage  cheese  or 
schmierkase. 

Skim  off  the  cream  and  set  the  milk  aside  to  sour  or 
clabber.  The  cheese  will  be  better  if  the  milk  is  kept 
cool — about  65  degrees — while  this  is  taking  place.  As 
soon  as  the  clabber  is  firm,  put  it  into  a  saucepan  or 
kettle  and  warm  up  to  about  the  temperature  of  the 
body — 100  degrees  Fahrenheit.  Stir  occasionally  and 
keep  it  at  about  that  temperature  for  one  hour,  or  until 
whey  has  separated  from  the  cheese.  Pour  into  a  clean 
cloth  bag  and  allow  the  whey  to  drain  off.  Cool,  add  one 
pound  of  salt  to  every  four  pounds  of  cheese  and  work 
this  in  until  the  cheese  is  smooth.  Now  add  the  cream 
that  was  skimmed  off  the  milk  and  work  this  into  the 
cheese.  This  is  not  only  a  delicacy  but  a  substantial 
article  of  diet. 

HOW  TO  MAKE  MAYONNAISE   DRESSING 

Mayonnaise  dressing  is  one  of  the  things  often  ordered 
in  hotels  and  restaurants,  but  seldom  received,  as  all 
kinds  of  dressings  are  served  under  the  name  of  mayon- 
naise. 

When  properly  made  and  cold,  mayonnaise  should 
be  firm  enough  to  stand  up  and  should  resemble  some- 
what the  consistency  of  medium  soft  butter.  While 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN          109 

very  simple,  the  making  of  really  good  mayonnaise  is  a 
fine  art.  Olive  oil  is  usually  used,  but  any  edible  oil 
will  do. 

If  shaken  up  together  oil  and  water  will  not  mix,  for 
the  oil  clings  together  and  will  not  break  up  into  small 
globules,  but  if  some  other  material,  such  as  soap  or 
buttermilk  is  put  in  and  the  mixture  shaken,  the  oil  will 
break  up  and  mix  with  the  water  This  is  called  an 
emulsion.  Mayonnaise  is  but  an  emulsion,  and  in  this 
case  the  yolk  of  an  egg  acts  as  the  emulsifying  agent. 
As  in  the  case  of  all  other  emulsifying  agents,  the  action 
will  take  place  quicker  if  all  the  materials  are  cold. 

Put  the  yolk  of  one  egg  in  a  plate  and  rub  it  smooth 
with  a  fork.  A  thick  yolk  will  act  much  better  than  a 
thin  one.  You  will  find  that  a  three-pronged  steel  or 
aluminum  fork  will  be  better  than  a  silver  one,  because 
silver  is  a  good  conductor  of  heat  and  will  convey  the 
heat  of  the  hand  into  the  egg.  Add  a  little  oil  and  rub 
it  quickly  into  the  egg.  The  emulsion  will  usually  start 
immediately;  if  it  does  not,  continue  rubbing  with  the 
addition  of  a  few  drops  of  oil  until  it  does.  A  little  salt, 
added  from  a  shaker  at  this  point,  will  often  start  the 
emulsion.  You  can  tell  when  the  oil  begins  to  take  with 
the  egg  by  the  way  it  thickens  up.  When  the  emulsion 
once  begins  to  take  there  should  be  no  further  trouble. 
Add  a  little  more  oil  and  then  a  little  vinegar  or  lemon 
juice,  and  work  it  into  the  egg.  Don't  try  to  work  too 
fast,  add  the  oil  only  as  fast  as  it  can  be  worked  into  the 
egg,  and  alternate  with  an  occasional  sprinkle  of  salt  and 
a  little  vinegar.  If  the  dressing  shows  a  tendency  to 


110          ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

become  thin  or  to  curdle,  sprinkle  in  some  salt  and  beat 
quickly. 

One  egg  is  enough  for  about  one-half  pint  of  oil;  if 
less  oil  is  used  the  dressing  is  apt  to  taste  of  the  egg. 
When  enough  has  been  made,  add  salt  and  cayenne  pep- 
per to  taste.  Don't  be  afraid  to  use  plenty  of  pepper, 
as  the  flavor  of  mayonnaise  depends  largely  upon  the 
pungency  that  is  given  it  by  the  pepper. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  GOOD  OMELET 

Break  three  eggs  and  separate  the  whites  and  yolks 
into  two  bowls.  To  the  yolks  add  one-half  teaspoonful 
of  salt,  and  one  heaping  teaspoonful  of  flour  or  corn 
starch.  Add  enough  water  to  make  a  smooth  paste, 
then  one  and  one-half  cupfuls  of  milk.  Beat  up  the 
whites  to  a  froth,  add  one  level  teaspoonful  of  baking 
powder  to  the  yolks,  mix  the  whites  and  yolks  together 
lightly  and  pour  into  a  hot  frying  pan.  Have  plenty  of 
fat  in  the  pan,  and  cook  slowly  with  a  cover  on  until  the 
omelet  begins  to  set;  then  put  it  into  a  hot  oven  until 
brown  on  top.  When  brown,  take  out  of  the  oven,  turn 
upside  down  upon  a  large  platter,  sprinkle  with  black 
pepper  and  fold  over. 

An  omelet  will  take  almost  any  kind  of  a  sauce.  The 
Italians  stew  tomatoes  and  onions  to  a  thick  consistency 
and  pour  this  over  the  omelet. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  111 

PRESERVING  EGGS  IN  WATER  GLASS 

In  the  spring,  when  eggs  are  plentiful,  and  there  is 
no  good  market  for  them,  the  thrifty  housewife  on  the 
farm  often  wishes  she  knew  some  practical  way  of  storing 
them  for  the  time  of  scarcity  in  the  fall.  There  is  no 
better  or  cheaper  way  of  doing  this  than  by  the  use  of 
water  glass.  Water  glass  is  sodium  silicate,  which  is 
but  a  fused  mixture  of  sand  and  soda.  It  may  be  bought 
at  a  drug  store  for  about  25  cents  a  quart  or  less,  and 
one  quart,  when  diluted,  is  sufficient  to  keep  twenty-five 
dozen  eggs.  For  every  quart  of  water  glass  add  ten 
quarts  of  water,  mix  thoroughly,  and  pour  the  mixture 
into  a  stone  jar,  filling  it  about  half  full  at  the  start. 
Put  the  fresh  eggs  into  the  jar  each  day  as  they  are  col- 
lected. Use  only  fresh,  clean  eggs  and  place  them  in  the 
jar,  carefully  lowering  them  in  by  hand  so  as  not  to 
break  them.  The  jar  should  be  kept  in  a  cool  place  and 
not  moved  very  much  after  the  eggs  have  been  put  into 
it,  because  of  the  danger  of  breaking  them.  The  eggs 
should  always  be  covered  with  the  liquid,  and  if  the 
water  should  evaporate  off  and  leave  them  uncovered 
more  water  should  be  added.  If  the  liquid  becomes 
cloudy,  it  is  no  indication  that  the  eggs  are  not  keeping, 
for  this  cloudiness  usually  takes  place.  Eggs  stored  in 
this  way  may  be  used  just  as  fresh  ones,  except  that  the 
yolks  are  apt  to  break  easily  and  are  therefore  not  well 
adapted  to  poaching.  Water  glass  eggs  may  be  mar- 
keted, but  the  greatest  economy  consists  in  using  them 
in  the  home  and  selling  those  eggs  that  are  laid  during 
the  fall  and  winter  at  fancy  prices. 


. 

ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 


HOW  TO  KEEP  WEEVILS  OUT  OF  PEAS, 
BEANS  AND  POPCORN 

The  eggs  of  the  ordinary  weevil  that  is  so  trouble- 
some are  laid  by  a  moth  while  the  crops  are  still  in  the 
field,  and,  as  the  eggs  are  sticking  to  the  outside  of  the 
seed,  they  may  be  easily  destroyed  before  they  have  time 
to  hatch  out.  As  soon  as  the  peas,  beans  or  popcorn  are 
gathered,  put  them  in  a  bag  and  dip  them  for  a  few 
seconds  in  boiling  water  and  spread  them  out  to  dry. 
This  treatment  is  advisable  for  the  seed  that  is  to  be 
used  as  food  and  not  for  the  seed  that  is  to  be  planted 
next  year. 

HOW  TO  KEEP  DRIED  APPLES  FROM 
DISCOLORING 

When  apples  are  peeled  and  sliced  for  drying,  they 
discolor,  or  darken,  very  quickly.  This  is  caused  by 
ferments  or  enzymes  that  exist  in  the  fruit  and  may  be 
prevented  by  dropping  the  apples  in  a  salt  solution. 
Dissolve  about  eight  teaspoonfuls  or  about  one  ounce  of 
salt  in  one  gallon  of  water,  and  as  fast  as  the  apples  are 
peeled  put  them  into  the  solution.  Take  them  out,  one 
at  a  time,  core  and  slice  them,  dropping  the  slices  back 
into  the  same  solution.  In  one  or  two  minutes  they  may 
be  spread  out  to  dry.  It  is  not  necessary  to  wash  off  the 
salt,  as  the  little  that  remains  on  the  fruit  will  add  to  its 
flavor.  Apples  that  have  not  become  discolored  will 
bring  a  better  price  than  otherwise. 


ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN  113 

HOW  TO  KEEP  SILVERWARE  BRIGHT 

AND  CLEAN 

While  silverware  does  not  rust  like  iron,  it  tarnishes 
very  readily.  This  black  tarnish  is  due  in  a  large 
measure  to  a  combination  of  silver  with  sulphur  or  silver 
sulphide.  Sulphur  is  found  in  coal  oil  gas,  eggs,  rubber 
and  in  many  fruits  and  vegetables.  Every  housewife 
knows  how  quickly  silver  will  blacken  if  left  in  eggs; 
this  is  because  the  sulphur  of  the  eggs  is  uniting  with 
the  silver  and  forming  the  black  silver  sulphide.  This 
tarnish  may  be  removed  either  by  rubbing  it  off  with  a 
silver  polish,  which  is  usually  some  finely  divided  sub- 
stance like  kaolin  or  white  clay,  or  it  may  be  removed 
by  means  of  a  weak  electric  current.  In  recent  investiga- 
tions in  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  it 
has  been  found  that  the  silver  is  worn  away  much  more 
rapidly  with  the  silver  polish  than  with  the  electric  cur- 
rent. 

Put  the  silverware  to  be  cleaned  into  a  graniteware 
or  enameled  saucepan.  Put  in  a  piece  of  aluminum — 
some  old  spoon  or  worn  out  cooking  utensil — so  that  each 
piece  of  silver  will  touch  the  aluminum,  or  have  one 
piece  of  silver  touch  the  aluminum  and  the  other  pieces 
of  silver  touch  this  piece  in  a  way  to  make  contact  with 
the  aluminum.  Cover  with  water  and  add  a  teaspoonful 
of  salt  and  a  teaspoonful  of  either  baking  powder  or 
washing  soda  for  each  quart  of  water.  Bring  to  a  boil 
and  boil  for  a  few  minutes,  remove  the  silverware  and 
polish  with  a  dry  cloth. 


114          ECONOMY  IN   THE  KITCHEN 

The  contact  of  the  silver  with  the  aluminum  produces 
a  weak  electric  current  which  causes  the  black  tarnish  to 
leave  the  silver  and  to  be  deposited  upon  the  aluminum. 
This  is  an  excellent  way  of  cleaning  silverware  that  is 
heavily  ornamented,  as  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get  all 
of  the  tarnish  out  of  the  crevices  with  silver  polish.  An 
aluminum  saucepan  may  be  used,  and  in  that  case  it  will 
not  be  necessary  to  put  in  an  aluminum  spoon.  How- 
ever, never  use  one  that  you  expect  to  keep  bright  and 
clean,  for  the  tarnish  that  accumulates  in  it  is  rather 
hard  to  remove. 


